Before joining the Minerals Research Institute in November 2018, Nicole spent 15 years at the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia coordinating industry input on a variety of government regulatory and policy issues and facilitating collaboration within the resources sector. Having had responsibility for the policy portfolios economics and tax; infrastructure; environment; land access; exploration; people strategies; workplace health and safety and training enabled Nicole to develop a comprehensive understanding of the challenges being faced by the mining sector. Nicole has completed a Masters of Science in Industrial and Organisational Psychology from UWA and a Masters in Risk Management from UNSW.

Stuart holds a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Queensland, Australia and an MBA from The University of Western Australia. His 25-year career has spanned roles in management, leadership, technical and operations in minerals and metals processing. Stuart’s passion for mining and metals extraction has taken him around the globe, leading businesses, innovating technologies, delivering complex projects and building high performance teams. Stuart specialised early in his career in developing novel technologies for hydrogen-based steelmaking and high temperature fluidised bed systems for pyrometallurgical applications. Stuart is excited by the future in mining particularly around the areas of innovation, sustainability and helping unlock further profitability in businesses.

Christiaan leads the McKinsey Sustainability practice in Australia, and the Digital in Industry group in Asia. He joined McKinsey in 2003 and has served industrial, mineral, and energy related clients since 2004 on operational and strategic topics. He is a frequent publisher of reports on issues affecting the Australian Oil and Gas sector, and on digital transformations in the resources and industrial sectors. Recent experience Led road transport decarbonisation effort Developed McKinsey’s perspective on hydrogen in Asia Led effort to understand Australia’s exposure to climate related disruption Led effort to design the lowest cost trajectory to a low/no carbon Australian economy Developed the first integrated “pathway” to zero-net emission in Europe through a consortium of >20 players and academia (2008) Led several energy efficiency transformations in large industrial companies (steel making, mining) Operational Model rejuvenation of a large industrial company, contributing to >$1bn in annual value creation Designing and implementing a lean + digital transformation of an international resources company Led digital roadmap for oil and gas company Operational transformation, including digital, for oil and gas company Front-line digital transformation of a global alumina company (with significant processing facilities) Using advanced analytics to increase throughput in a metals refinery Supporting the digital strategy of a global mining house Designing the digital implementation strategy for an international oil and gas company Strategy development and implementation for a large utility Background Christian studied applied physics with a specialization in Material Science at the University of Groningen and the University of California at Berkeley.