FEM 2023 speakers

Steffen is a Professor for Economic Geology and Director of the Centre for Exploration Targeting at the University of Western Australia. He has 35 years’ experience in economic geology specialising in mineral system analyses of orogenic Au, BIF-hosted Fe ore, porphyry Cu-Au, epithermal Au-Ag, VHMS Cu-Zn mineralization and Li-Cs pegmatite. Most of his present research projects are in the Yilgarn craton of Western Australia and in South America with projects in the eastern Andes of Peru, NW Argentina and the Precambrian shields of Brazil and Guyana. Steffen is also a Technical Director at Latitude Cobalt 66 Ltd and Nero Resource Fund.

Dr Jess Stromberg is a Senior Research Scientist and Team Leader of the Mineral Footprints team. She is a geoscientist with a background in ore deposit geochemistry, spectral techniques, and in the minerals industry. In the spectral sensing space, Jess works largely at the drill core scale with spectral mineralogy data from HyLogger and field-based spectrometers, and in knowledge transfer through delivery of workshops on the applications of hyperspectral mineralogy as a part of the AuScope NVCL.  Jess works across a range of applied research and technology development projects and is broadly interested in improving the workflows in which we collect and integrate spectral datasets from the X-ray to far-infrared.

Dr Heta Lampinen is a Research Scientist with a versatile geology background including economic geology, nuclear waste geological disposal and geotechnical structural geology. Heta works with a wide range of hyperspectral, geological, geochemical and geophysical survey data to facilitate mineral mapping across multiple scales on the surface and subsurface. Heta’s technical skills include operating hyperspectral core and field sensors, hyperspectral data processing and integration with complimentary geoscience data, and use of various microscopy techniques (optical, SEM, XRF, XRD) for linking broader alteration haloes to metal deposits. Heta is also skilled in processing hyperspectral airborne and satellite images (e.g. HyMap and PRISMA) and translating their content to mineral systems footprint targeting tools.

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Alan has over 40 years’ experience in the use and development of geoanalytical technologies. His specialism is in the development of workflows that allow geologists to image and analyse minerals, ores and rock textures at variable scales, with different modalities, and in different dimensions (2D, 3D and 4D). This novel approach allows all of the key materials at our disposal (drill cores, drill chips, thick & thin sections, polished blocks) to be evaluated for ore characterisation, mineral liberation and elemental deportment, all of which reduce risk and increase the likelihood of success in exploration & mining.

Leena Rajavuori is a geologist and is currently Manager, Growth and Innovation at Agnico Eagle Finland.  She has 20 years of experience in exploration and mining industry, and has diverse experience in project management, operational excellence, and business development.

Leena holds a MSc in Geology and Mineralogy from University of Turku and an eMBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology. She holds EurGeol title and is member of EFG’s Panel of Experts on Minerals and their sustainable use. She is currently a board member in Finnish Association of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers.

Introduction will be published soon.

Jeanette Stovel (BA Hons [East Asian Studies], McGill University, 1986; Executive MBA, Warsaw School of Economics and University of Calgary, 2001) worked for 15 years in multilateral and non-governmental organizations in Canada and Poland and throughout the former Yugoslavia before joining Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada in 2006.

During her time at Headquarters, she has served as deputy director of peace operations policy for the Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force (2008 to 2009) and deputy director for the Middle East in the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program (2016 to 2019).

Her positions overseas have included political counsellor in Poland, where she was concurrently the most senior Canadian diplomat accredited to Belarus; chargé d’affaires en pied in Lithuania, with responsibility for Latvia and Estonia; and, most recently, high commissioner in Brunei (2019 to 2022).

Javier Gonzalez has 20 years´ experience from the Geological Survey of Spain (IGME-CSIC). PhD in geology, mineralogy and geochemistry of seabed ferromanganese deposits. He has been coordinator of the H2020 GeoERA-MINDeSEA project, mapping the metallogeny and critical raw materials potential of seabed minerals in pan-European seas. Since 2004, he collaborates with a number of research institutions on several projects in the Iberian continental margins, Canary Islands, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Baltic Sea, South China Sea, Cocos-Nazca Ridge and South Shetland Islands and Scotia Sea (Antarctica). Oriented to national and international career with responsibility for marine minerals mapping and research in the framework of Europe, Iberoamerican countries and the International Seabed Authority. His main research interests include marine mineral deposits, critical raw materials, sustainability and energy transition.

Mr Fabian Baker is a geologist with more than 12 years of experience in the mineral exploration industry. Fabian was the founder and CEO of Tethyan Resource Corp (“Tethyan”), a TSX Venture Exchange listed company. Fabian led Tethyan’s entry into Serbia and neighbouring Balkan countries, identifying and negotiating the acquisition of a number of significant gold, copper and base metal advanced exploration assets. In 2020 Tethyan was successfully acquired by Adriatic Metals Plc, a company listed on the ASX and LSE.

Fabian’s positions prior to Tethyan include that of Chief Geologist at Lydian International, where he was an integral part of the team which proved up the + 4-million-ounce gold resource and completed the feasibility study on the major Amulsar gold deposit in Armenia. He was also Exploration Manager for Royal Road Minerals in Turkey. He has a Bachelor of Science in Applied Geology from the Camborne School of Mines.

Laura is a geologist with particular interest in geological applications of hyperspectral imaging. Laura did her PhD at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) and the Technical University Freiberg, where her research was mainly focused on the use of hyperspectral drill-core scanning for geometallurgical applications for various ore types. Following her PhD she joined TheiaX, a spin-off from HIF. Within TheiaX she focuses on project design and implementation in order to find solutions to various geological and mining-related problems using hyperspectral imaging at various scales – ranging from hand specimens and drill-cores to outcrops, mine faces and regional exploration.

Ian is a geologist graduated from Oxford Brookes University (BSc) and Imperial College (PhD). He has specialized in iron ore exploration for over 20 years and has been based with LKAB in Norrbotten since November 2021. Ian and the exploration team are responsible for the supply of all Mineral Resources to LKAB’s businesses.

Trond Watne holds a PhD in mining engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and has 28 years of experience working as a geologist and mining engineer in the Hustadlitt Group.  The group is involved in mining raw materials for ground calcium carbonate (Brønnøy Kalk AS) and mining and processing of high purity quartz (The Quartz Corp AS), and is currently doing exploration work at the Fen Carbonatite Complex (Rare Earths Norway AS).

Mona Schanche has 17 years of experience working in the Norwegian mining industry with various exploration and mine development projects. Prior to joining Kuniko as COO, she was part of the management team in Nordic Mining ASA with positions as VP Exploration and VP Resource and Sustainability. Schanche holds a Master of Science in Resource Geology from the University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim.

Todd Ross, a seasoned Natural Resources Executive, boasts 25+ years in the field and currently heads Nordic Nickel, an ASX listed nickel exploration firm. In his role as MD and CEO, he provides strategic vision and leadership, guiding the advancement of significant nickel projects in Finland.

With a rich career including key roles at BNP Paribas and Westpac Institutional Bank, Todd excels in M&A, structured finance, and commodity derivatives for Natural Resources. His tenure as MD and Head of Western Australia at BNP Paribas was pivotal in bridging Europe and Australia, establishing the bank as a leader in energy transition commodities finance.

Todd’s diverse background, exceptional leadership, and industry insight fuel his commitment to the natural resources sector. At Nordic Nickel, he’s dedicated to driving growth and exploration of the company’s district scale assets to deliver on the vision to become a major supplier of sustainably sourced nickel in Europe.

Hanna Junttila is one of the founder members and the Chair of the Board of WiM Finland. Hanna is a geologist (MSc) by training and she has been working as a researcher at the University of Oulu in the department of Geology and in Oulu Mining School. After the research career she has been working in sales and marketing in manufacturing and services industries. Currently she is working as a Business Development Manager at EIT Raw Materials. When not doing volunteering she is running on the trails and dreaming about finishing a 100k ultra-run.

Antti Peronius, geologist (M.Sc) is a III-generation gold digger, placer gold expert, Head of Legal Support at the Lapland Gold Prospectors’ Association.

Work experience: 40 years in Lapland, Siberia, Canada, East-Africa.

Special skills: gold exploration, placer gold inventory and production planning, project management.

Leanne Smar is a Canadian geologist (MSc) with 11 years of greenfields and brownfields exploration experience in gold deposits in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt, Canada’s Yukon Tombstone gold belt, and the West African craton. Throughout her geological career, Leanne has also participated in multiple exploration campaigns for porphyry copper-gold and epithermal deposits in the West Tethyan Belt of Eastern Europe and in the Southwest United States. Leanne holds a Master of Science degree from the University of British Columbia, Canada in structural and metamorphic geology focused on the deformation history of supracrustal rocks of the Wopmay Orogen, Northwest Territories. Her passion for geology lies in unraveling structurally complex deformation in Paleoproterozoic and Archean terranes at the micro and macro scale.

Marcello Imaña is an economic geologist with a broad interest in the development of exploration methods aimed at enhancing polymetallic and gold discoveries in volcanic arcs and sedimentary basins in Northern Europe and Latin America. His experience in mining comes from actively participating, supervising and mentoring successful multidisciplinary exploration teams in companies such as Lundin Mining, Agnico Eagle, First Quantum, and Inmet Mining. These activities have led him to work in mineralized systems with varied and unusual preservation and deformation schemes in volcanic domains across the world.

Marcello’s academic background includes geological engineering programs at UNMSM (Peru), as well as technological input acquired with several projects with mining companies in Europe and Latin America through graduate studies at the University of Turku, Finland and Department of Economic Geology and Applied Geophysics in Luleå University in Sweden.

Since 2020 Marcello is overseeing the technical direction for geological activities in Copperstone pre-production stage Viscaria Cu and advance exploration Arvidsjaur polymetallic project in the Kiruna and Skelleftee districts respectively.

Diogo Rosa is Senior Researcher at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland since 2012, participating in the survey’s geological mapping program and contributing to regional mineral resource evaluation, with a focus on the study of carbonate-hosted zinc-lead occurrences in Greenland. Prior to that Diogo was, for a period of 10 years, a Researcher at the Geological Survey of Portugal, working on criteria for exploration for VMS deposits of the Iberian Pyrite Belt, geothermal energy, CCS and mapping. He has also served as an exploration geologist in exploration projects in Portugal (gold and rare earths) and as a part-time lecturer at the University of Lisbon. He holds a BSc from the University of Lisbon and a PhD from the Colorado School of Mines and carried out a postdoc at the universities of St Andrews and Oslo.

Kalle-Pekka Kotiaho joined Rupert Resources in 2018 and was a key member of the Ikkari Discovery team from pre-drilling grassroots exploration in Area 1 to publication of its multi-million maiden resource in 2021. Kalle’s current focus is on developing understanding of Ikkari and potential satellite orebodies through the feasibility and engineering stages whilst progressing Rupert’s disciplined and systematic regional exploration campaign in parallel. Kalle is a geologist with an MSc in Geology from Åbo Akademi University from Turku, Finland.

Tom Kearney has a background in exploration and project development and has been working for the last seven years on the Talga Group’s flagship Vittangi Graphite Project which aims to become Europe’s leading supplier of green graphite anode.

Jørgen Stenvold is an economic geologist with more than 20 years’ experience from developing mining projects in Spitsbergen, Greenland, Ethiopia, Finland, Canada, USA and Brazil. He started his career as mining geologist in Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani before he developed a portfolio of exploration projects for the company, later as Managing Director for Store Norske Gull. In 2010 he joined Yara to identify mining investments opportunities and later became VP Mining overseeing mining operations and projects globally. He was part of establishing Arctic Graphite before becoming Project Director for Norge Mineraler earlier this year.

Emma is Director Communications at Svemin, the Association for mines, mineral-, and metals producers in Sweden. She has 20+ years of experience from communications and media, with a background as a journalist. But just like the green transition, she started in the mine; Emma has a MSc in bedrock geology from Uppsala University. She is chair of Women in Mining Sweden.

Peter W. Brandt. Geotechnical engineer and Entrepreneur with 40+ years’ experience in landfill and industrial liner systems and steel bridges. Many executive positions within Viacon Group domestic and internationally. Former VP in IGS Finland (landfills and soil reinforcement).

Retired 2020 after exiting ViaCon. Today pro bono environmental protection advisor with no commitment to the industry.