Winu is an exciting new copper-gold project located in the Paterson Province, Western Australia. The team is currently focused on strengthening our relationships with the host Traditional Owners of the land, the Martu and Nyangumarta, and advancing respectful and equitable agreements.Planned drilling, fieldwork and study activities also continue to support the development pathway ahead of regulatory and other important approvals.

Accountable to the De Beers Group Executive for the delivery of the transformation of De Beers’ managed mining operations to embed a digitally-enabled operating model. This transformation will be effected through a programme of projects focusing on functional rationalisation, business process re-engineering, technology enablement and a shift in organisational capability.

Tasked with the development of a comprehensive asset life cycle model for deployment across the De Beers Group, consolidating and co-ordinating asset and project portfolio management, project performance management and operating asset performance management at Group, Operating Unit and operational level. Accountable for the strategic and operational guidance of the projects and structured business improvement functions across the Group, as well as the development of an innovation focus as part of structured business improvement at operational level. Continued broad involvement with central business planning and management processes for the Group.

Reporting to the Executive Head of Technical, I have overall accountability for the De Beers Group of Companies’ project function and provide high-level strategic, governance and functional leadership across all major and stay-in-business projects. I furthermore assist the Group Operating Units with their Project knowledge and talent management.Major accomplishments:* Oversaw the migration of the Group’s project function to a more commercially- / economically-focused portfolio approach.* Oversaw the in-house development of a Group-wide capital management process and software system.

Reporting to the Executive Head of Technical, I was responsible for the strategic management of the Engineering and Projects functions for the De Beers global Group of Companies, inclusive of assurance of operational performance and business plans; and major capital expenditure projects executed within the De Beers Group of Companies. I furthermore assist the Business Units with their Engineering & Project talent management.Major accomplishments:* Oversaw and sponsored the development of a Group Asset Development Standard to standardise the approach to major capital project development across the De Beers Group.* At the request of the Group Executive, developed a technical assurance model based on international audit practice to ensure repeatable and reasonable assurance of technical aspects in the organisation. * Work stream lead for the development of a technology development strategy for the mining portion of the De Beers Group of Companies as part of the Group Strategic Review. * Assisted in successfully restructuring De Beers’ Corporate Headquarters technical consultancy function during the 2008 / 2009 economic downturn.* Chairperson of the Electricity Growth Management Task Team (a multi-stakeholder task team and a sub-committee in the South African Government’s National Electricity Response Team) that developed the framework that allows for the allocation of scarce electricity supply to new applicants, ensuring that constrained power in South Africa is allocated to applications that will have the best socio-economic benefit for the country.* Member of the Advisory Group for the Institute for Democracy in Africa’s Electricity Governance Initiative project.

I was responsible for the strategic management and development of the Automation and Information Engineering function for the De Beers global Group of Companies, inclusive of:* Discipline technical assurance of major capital expenditure projects executed within the De Beers Group of Companies, * Ensuring, through consultation and guidance, the utilisation of appropriate engineering standards, in project study phases and in eventual project execution, * Ensuring, through technology scanning and consultation, the application of new technology to the automation field inside the Group of Companies, appropriate to the current and future requirements of operations and projects, and* Assisting the Business Units’ Engineering Discipline Leads with discipline talent development across the Family of Companies and transmission of lessons learned from project to project.I also acted as the De Beers Corporate Principal for Energy and Climate Change, focusing on the areas of energy security, energy efficiency and climate change and specifically the impact it will have on the Group of Companies in the short- to medium term.Major accomplishments:* Successfully restructured and de-centralised De Beers’ Corporate Headquarters Automation Engineering capability in line with new De Beers Workplace Accountability model.* Developed and managed a recovery plan for the practical completion of the Diamond Trading Company Botswana’s new Diamond Sorting and Trading Building in Gaborone, Botswana.

I was responsible for the discipline and tactical management, and development of, multi-disciplinary teams responsible for all project execution and operational support of automation and information systems for offshore marine mining vessels.While my focus was major project execution, the position also demanded a high degree of operational support oversight and manpower planning and recruitment.Major accomplishments:* Developed a marine automation-focused project execution capability in support of the De Beers Marine and De Beers Marine Namibia capital replacement & expansion plans.* Oversaw the design, development and implementation of integrated vessel and production control systems on six marine mining ships.* Oversaw the development and application of a project technical standardisation model to ensure consistent and repeatable project results.

I was responsible for the discipline and strategic management and development of multi-disciplinary teams responsible for all control and instrumentation for a diamond mine.Major accomplishments:* Developed, implemented and managed a centralised project execution and support capability for all control solutions across all production areas at Venetia Mine.

I was responsible for the technical management of a multi-disciplinary section (engineering, metallurgy and information technology) that was responsible for the maintenance and development of the PLC, SCADA and advanced control functions in the Ore Processing Department, as well as the departmental management information system.Major accomplishments:* Oversaw the analysis and recommissioning of the Venetia process plant control system to improve system availability to above 99.4%

I held various technical, project and operational management positions with Anglovaal Minerals in the gold process engineering discipline.Major accomplishments:* Managed the successful turnaround of the Hartebeestfontein 7# Gold Plant from a loss-making operation to a sustainable profitable dump-reclamation operation.* Analysis of the mine-wide metals accounting system and implementation of corrective actions to improve the discrepancy between production forecast and actual production to within 1% on a monthly basis.* Research into and development of a model that predicts gold adsorption onto activated carbon in a high calcium sulphate and carbonate environment to optimise gold recovery.