Cory Stevens, Vice-President Operational Improvement, Freeport McMoRan

Mr. Stevens is Vice President of Operational Improvement. He has been with Freeport-McMoRan since 1997, where he started with the company as a process engineer at the Chino Smelter. Cory worked in numerous positions of increasing responsibility in both North and South America and served as President and General Manager of El Abra from 2013-2015. In 2015, Cory was named vice president of Operational Improvement and responsible for Maintenance, asset lifecycle programs, data analytics and continuous improvement across the Freeport portfolio. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and a Master’s of Business Administration degree from Western New Mexico University.

Satish Rao, Partner, Clareo

Satish Rao brings significant industry and consulting experience in the areas of business strategy and growth through innovation. He brings outside in perspectives to insight generation and ideation to help client address core issues of growth and creating sustainable competitive advantage. His expertise also includes building innovation capability, identifying new business opportunities, portfolio management and go to market strategy.

Mr. Rao has significant experience in industrial, energy and resources, and consumer sectors, and jointly leads Clareo’s energy and resources practice. He has advised some of the world’s leading resources and energy companies such as BHP, Anglo American, Teck, Barrick Gold, BP, Castrol, and Exelon. He has helped clients transform through disruptive technology, new business opportunities, and build innovation capabilities, governance, and process. He is a co-creator of Clareo’s FastPath approach to growth through innovation, which includes insight generation, ideation, and a rapid and lean approach to implementation.

Mr. Rao has also been a lead facilitator for TWIN (The World Innovation Network) Catalyst sessions focused on social license for the unconventional oil and gas sector. He is also advising the Development Partner Institute, which aims to transform mining to become an integrated and proactive development partner. Mr. Rao is a contributing author to several publications and a book, Growth Champions: The Battle for Sustained Innovation Leadership (Wiley, 2012).

In his early professional career, Mr. Rao was a managing consultant with IBM’s Strategy & Change consulting practice. Prior to consulting, he held engineering and management roles at Ericsson and Motorola, where he developed mobile infrastructure solutions for global customers and contributed to industry standards. He has an MBA in Strategy from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, in addition to an MS and BE in computer science and engineering. He has also achieved PMP certification in project management.

James Jason Murray, Chief Engineer, OffWorld

James is Co-Founder and Chief Engineer at OffWorld, Inc. During the past four years, he has been responsible for the investigation and development of architectures and prototypes for a revolutionary approach to both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial mining and resource processing using intelligent and robust industrial robots.

James’ training is in space launch. He is a recognized senior propulsion expert with a global knowledge of rocket engine architectures and functional stage design, which he has applied in his tenure at large corporations and as an entrepreneur. James’ unique ability to synthesize broad fields of knowledge, combined with his creative thinking, has helped push innovation throughout his career across various sectors.

As Chief Engineer for both aircraft design and space launcher developments, James has extensive management experience in both small and large international industrial projects.

James started work for Reaction Engines Ltd. in England and made contributions to the design update of the SKYLON Single Stage to Orbit space plane.

During his tenure as Head of Space Research and Technology and Head of Space Development for the SAFRAN Group Techspace Aero subsidiary, he contributed to the development of the European space launch vehicle program Ariane, specifically in engine development and supply.

James founded BOOSTER in 2006, assembling a multinational consortium of companies to develop and operate a new concept rocketship for human access into near-space.

He contributed to the development of a lunar supply chain concept at Shackleton Energy Company.

James is also a space-aeroplane certification process expert, supporting engineering projects under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

James received his PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Bristol, England. He is also an alumnus of the Space Studies Program at the International Space University, the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the College of the Bahamas.

In addition to this, James founded AspireSpace,a British Amateur Rocket Group, in the 1990s. He has been a leader and a mentor in the New Space sector for over 15 years, working as an ambassador and promoter in international political and technical arenas.

Eric Case, Information Security Manager, Tusimple

Eric, the Information Security Manager at TuSimple Inc., has worked in a wide range of computer-related areas for over 30 years, giving him a thorough understanding of the consent change and need to stay current and secure. Previously, as Information Security Officer with the College of Engineering, he used ITIL to drive improvements in IT and security and he promoted security awareness and training for College faculty, staff, and students. Eric also mentors local high school students in the CyberPatriot program. Eric holds a Master of Science in Management Information Systems from The University of Arizona, Eller College of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Technology Management from Northern Arizona University. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

David Jacques, Vice President Engineering at MacLean Engineering

David Jacques joined MacLean Engineering in 2001 after graduating from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Management Science. David began his career in hydraulic and mechanical design roles and progressed through more responsible supervision and management positions within the engineering department as well as leading teams on several large new product development projects. As Vice President of Engineering, David is responsible for the engineering teams who carry out the design, continuous improvement, and customer support of all products offered by MacLean and works closely with Sales, Marketing, and Operations counterparts as part of the executive team. David has been a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario since 2005.

Ned Harvey, Managing Director, Rocky Mountain Institute

Ned Harvey is a Managing Director at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI). He leads RMI’s Program focused on heavy transport and Industry.  The program has multiple initiatives focused on aviation; trucking, shipping & freight, mining, and oil and gas.  By working directly with these industries, the RMI Industry Program strives to scale energy transitions and climate solutions through market based approaches that reduce carbon emissions and advance a low carbon economy.

Ned’s 10-year tenure at RMI leverages his twenty years of diverse business leadership experience. Prior to leading the Industry Program, Ned led the execution of the institute’s acquisition of the Carbon War Room. Prior positions at RMI include serving as the institute’s Chief Operating Officer, Program Director for the Solar Market Transformation Program and Head of Development.

Ned also founded and led several Renewable Energy Development companies and served as an executive for a global consultancy. In his early career, Ned spent eight years as an officer in the United States Navy, serving aboard nuclear submarines and in the Tomahawk cruise missile program office.

Ned received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at San Diego. Ned serves on the boards for the Harvard Business School Club of Colorado and the Colorado Clean Tech Industry Association.

Kalev Ruberg, VP Future and Chief Innovation Officer, Teck and GMG Incoming Chair

Kalev Ruberg has been active in the information systems arena for more than 40 years. As a BSc and Masters graduate from MIT, he studied at the Architecture Machine Lab (now the Media Lab). He continued his digital simulation research; first at the National Bureau of Standards (now NIST) in Washington DC and University of California Berkeley Labs, then at Georgia Tech as an assistant professor. In 1982 he joined Canada’s National Research Council in Ottawa as a Senior Research Scientist where he developed a number of machine learning algorithms in the artificial intelligence field. Joining IBM Global Services, he designed large machine learning and control systems for IBM Manufacturing and for clients worldwide. In 1998 he was appointed the CIO and Deputy Minister to the Finance Minister at the Government of Manitoba where he was responsible for the government’s Information Services. Subsequently, he led development at a B2B e-commerce company, and then as a VP at TELUS, he was responsible for Application Development and Business Development and for developing the IT strategy and offerings for TELUS’ Healthcare vertical. As the CIO and Executive General Manager for Information Services at Placer Dome, formerly the largest gold mining enterprise in the world, he led the restructuring of technology services worldwide. Since 2006, he has been the CIO at Teck Resources, and most recently, he was also appointed Vice President, Teck Digital Systems, where he is responsible for the overall digital systems services and projects for this global mining company. Kalev has published more than 30 papers in proceedings and journals. In 2018, he was named to CIM Magazine’s 2018 Names to Know.

Michelle Ash, Chair, GMG

Facilitator 

Michelle Ash’s last role was as Chief Innovation Officer at Barrick. In her role, Ash oversaw the company’s Innovation program, looking both at how innovation can drive productivity in the existing business as well as how it can be harnessed to deliver alternative business models. Ash joined Barrick in January 2016 and brought with her more than 20 years of experience in the mining and manufacturing sectors with a focus on business improvement and change management. Ash was named to the 2016 list of “100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining” by Women in Mining UK.

Brian Weller, Chief Engineer – Surface Mining and Technology Division, Caterpillar

Weller joined Caterpillar in 1986 as an Electrical Power Engineer from Michigan Tech. In 1989, he moved to the Large Engine Engineering team where he developed the first electronically controlled engine for Caterpillar machines. He was elevated to Engineering Manager and led the development of the one the most successful engine product lines in the company. In 1997, he became the Marketing Manager in Hartford CT supporting Electric Power sales from New York to Philadelphia supporting Y2K readiness for some of world’s largest financial institutions. From 1999 to 2004 he had a number of cross functional leadership roles before becoming the World-Wide Product Manager Large Tractor Type Tractors. In 2007, Weller was named the Director of Engine Design responsible of the development and implementation of Caterpillar’s Tier 4 engine program, the largest R&D program in the company’s history. In 2015, Brian became the Chief Engineer for Surface Mining, with a key focus on teaching, mentoring and leading the engineering transition to Tucson, making the Tucson Mining Center, one of the largest mining machinery design centers in the world.

Mikael Ramstrom, Vice President – Product Portfolio Automation & Interoperability, Epiroc

Mikael Ramström graduated from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden with a M.Sc. in Electrical engineering in 1992. Mikael worked for five years control and automation system for the European Space Agency (ESA). Since 1999 Mikael has been working for Epiroc, former Atlas Copco Mining and Rock Excavation, and currently holds a position as Vice President Rocktec division with responsibility for Product Portfolio Automation and Interoperability. Since 2013 Sherpa to Epiroc CEO Per Linberg in the European Union Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Raw Materials. Mikael has been involved in the European Knowledge and Innovation Community, EIT RawMaterials since 2011 and been Chairman for EIT RawMaterials Northern Co-Location Centre in Luleå. In addition, Mikael has been a member of the board to Nordic Rock Tech Centre AB as well as a member to the board of SIP STRIM, a Strategic Innovation Programme for the Swedish Mining and Metal Producing Industry. Since 2017 Mikael is a member of the board to Luleå University of Technology.

Glenn Kerkhoff, Head Worldwide Business Development, Mining, AWS

Glenn Kerkhoff heads up the Mining Industry group for Amazon Web Services (AWS), in the role of Head of Worldwide Business Development, Mining.

Glenn comes from Newcastle, Australia, and has also lived in Indonesia, Chile, Canada and the United States. He is currently based in Denver, Colorado. Glenn holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Mining Engineering from the University of NSW, and has spent his entire professional life involved in the global mining industry.

Glenn’s experience includes mining engineering, mine operations, mineral processing, maintenance, commodities marketing, mining economics and 20+ years’ experience with mining technology solutions. He started his career with major Australian miner BHP, and then worked in the explosives industry with Dyno Nobel. Glenn then joined Mincom (now ABB), working in Geology and Mine Planning, mining ERP, and real-time Fleet Management Systems. In 2001, Glenn joined Caterpillar as Commercial Manager, Mining Technology, responsible for business development and account management for Caterpillar’s MineStar Fleet Management Systems and Machine Control and Guidance Systems. He continued his career with several other mining technology companies including Datamine, RPM Global (formerly Runge) and Trimble, before returning to Caterpillar in 2016 to head-up the Mining Productivity Solutions business, focusing on advanced productivity solutions, autonomous haulage assessments, data connectivity and predictive analytics for machine reliability and maintenance. Glenn moved to Amazon AWS in 2019 to head up business development for the mining and resources sector.

Michael W. Lewis, General Manager – Technology Interoperability, Komatsu

Michael Lewis is General Manager Technology Interoperability at Komatsu based in Tucson, Arizona, USA. He is responsible for setting and aligning mining technology and autonomy strategy and development priorities across Komatsu group OEMs and OTMs. Prior to joining Komatsu in early 2019, he worked for Modular Mining Systems, a Komatsu subsidiary as Vice President of Product Innovation. As VP Product Innovation he was responsible for Product Development, Product Management, and Research of productivity, maintenance, and safety related solutions. Prior roles at Modular Mining Systems include; Manager Mining Services, General Manager Brazil, and VP Sales and Marketing. Prior to joining Modular, Mr. Lewis worked at Barrick Goldstrike in Nevada and at Inco Mines Research in Sudbury. Mr. Lewis holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, an M.Sc. in Mining Engineering, both from Queen’s University, and has completed non-degree programs at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business and Queen’s Smith School of Business. Inventor of several patents in the areas of maintenance, mine productivity, and mine safety. Currently Mr. Lewis is serving as Chairman of Queen’s University – Ingenuity Labs Research Institute Advisory Board.

Scott Schoepel, Vice President Commercial Markets, Motorola

Scott Schoepel is Vice President Commercial Markets. In this role Scott is responsible for our direct Sales, Engineering, Program Management and Service teams for all Commercial verticals. Scott has led the Commercial Markets organization since January of 2015. Prior to this role, Scott held varying positions in the North American Government sales team. Scott Joined the company as a systems engineer directly after graduating from Marquette University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.

Maxelino Nelson, Global Industry Leader – Mining and Industry Alliances, IBM

Max is an entrepreneurial business leader with two decades’ multinational experience, including the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, China, India, Russia, and Australia. A leader in IBM Global Industry for Mining and Industry alliances, Max leverages industry ecosystem partnerships to help clients take solutions from idea to reality – from strategy to services, product offerings, sales, and go-to-market implementation. He is passionate about helping Industry clients envision and execute high impact transformations at the intersection of business and technology. With laser focus on results, Max is a flexible, pragmatic, and high-impact leader.

Max has two decades of experience encompassing strategic sales, business development, thought leadership and delivery of transformative digital change and technology-driven projects particularly for the vertical industries: oil & gas, mining, metals, and resources. His decisive, result-oriented and people-focused approach has paved the way to identify high value market opportunities besides driving strategically positioned value proposition perspectives to customer engagement initiatives in Oil & Gas, Mining, Rail Transportation, Power Utilities, Enterprises and Local Government as well.

Max takes pride in working with clients to become a trusted partner, envisioning how they can use tech solutions such as IoT, AI and Blockchain to reinvent their business and lead their industry toward a digital future. With an unparalleled view of the big picture, Max can and does align internal subject matter experts with business analysis to develop technically and financially sound business plans for creation of product strategy and launch of product offerings. Building and leading global teams of industry experts who understand client business mean that Max can translate technology into solutions for their toughest business challenges.

Industry peers recognize Max to be an accomplished strategist with an admirable record of driving profitable growth in challenging, difficult to penetrate competitive markets globally.

Peter Bullock, Solutions and Services Manager – Resources Technology, Accenture

Pete has 20+ years of experience in the mining sector, from C-suite to cross-discipline operational teams and equipment operators, both underground and open pit, around the world. Through his working knowledge of mining and mining technology he now supports companies and operations through the complex set of challenges faced by the industry, including IT/OT convergence and emerging priorities in a digital age. His continues to foster and develop digital mining and become an advocate innovation and digital transformation in the resources sector.

Michelle K. Don Carlos, Lawyer – Mediator, Law offices of Michelle K. Don Carlos

Native American lawyer practicing law for 15 years in California and Arizona, working in Indian Country for 20 years as a Mediator, General Counsel and Washington D.C. Intern on several issues including clean utilities to repatriation of artifacts. UCLA Degrees include J.D. Law joint degree with American Indian Master’s (thesis pending, focus Nation Building) and two Bachelor’s from University of Missouri, including study abroad in 16 countries to focus on indigenous issues. Founded two 501(c)(3) nonprofits: Mending Souls and United Sovereign Nations, as well as a  for-profit tutoring company. Founded and taught school for two years in rural Costa Rica prior to law career.

Carlos Erazo, Principal Mine Modernisation, Anglo American

Francinne Hansen, HR Leader – North Atlantic and Asian Refineries, Vale

Fran Hansen, an executive with over 25 years experience, recently joined Vale as Manager, HR for North Atlantic leading and supporting the HR teams across Canada, the UK, Japan and China. She is an accomplished Operations and Human Resources Executive with general management and human resources success across multiple industries and countries. Fran’s success is a result of her drive to serve as a catalyst for change through passionate and purposeful leadership with an unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion, bringing organizational culture to life for all employees and stakeholders.

Fran began her executive career in the telecom industry, starting within the Roger’s group of companies where she worked for 16 years in various customer and marketing roles. This opened the door to an opportunity to be part of a mobile start up in Prague, CZ. Her experience, skill and success led her to various international assignments across the globe with Vodafone Group, where she had the opportunity to be part of another mobile start up in Qatar as Chief People Officer and Chief Operating Officer.

After 12 years abroad, she decided to return home to Canada and embarked upon a career in retail beginning with Sears as Vice-President, Human Resources and Centres of Excellence, and then Indigo Books & Music as Vice-President, Human Resources and Organizational Development. Before joining vale, Fran worked for the largest Canadian retailer in Canada, Loblaw Companies Limited where she served as Vice-President, Talent. In her role she was accountable for the design, development and implementation of all strategies, programs and polices across the talent management lifecycle, including Diversity and Inclusion.

Fran enjoys bringing practical people solutions to organizations to enable leaders to achieve great results with their people. At the heart of this work, is her innate ability to create cultures where all people are connected to the organization and each other so they can thrive and do great work. She believes positive employee engagement is the magic that harnesses the power of organizations to achieve outstanding results and create truly inclusive cultures.

Fran lives in Toronto with her wife Astrid and their 2 fur children. When not working, she loves travelling to new and unusual places and working on her golf game.