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.

ogy.

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.

Erika is Head of Division, Mineral Information & Mining Industry at SGU since 2015. Her division runs the Mineral information office in Malå, statistics on mining, exploration, raw materials, government commissions, and also runs international capacity building projects. Among other things, Erika is part of the team that negotiated the CRMA during the Swedish EU Presidency, and one of the experts contributing to the Swedish government FIMM inquiry on securing innovation critical raw materials.

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.

Vern Langdale is the Country Manager for Nordic Nickel Ltd. He is a mining veteran with 38 years of experience across a wide variety of roles in mining projects and mines from many countries. He studied mining engineering at the Camborne School of Mines in Cornwall, England and started his career working in gold mines in the Goldfields of Australia. 

Over the last 17 years he has been involved with building and commissioning mines often in challenging and remote locations in China, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. In 2018 he moved to Finland with Nordic Gold. 

Prior to joining Nordic Nickel, Vern worked as Director, Operations for Endomines AB at its US and Finnish Operations. He was the Mine Manager at Nordic Gold in Finland and was the Project Manager for Jac Rijk Al Rushaid in Saudi Arabia, at its largest gold mining project for the Ma’aden Gold Group.

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.

Christin has a background in permitting and Environmental Impact Assessments and has been working on Talga’s projects for almost a decade. She is working with permitting and sustainability on 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.

Quentin is a senior researcher at the Geological Survey of Finland where he has been leading several national and EU research and innovation projects on ore geology, mineral processing, traceability and geometallurgy of battery minerals (Cobalt, Lithium) and critical raw materials (CRMs) such as Rare Earths Elements (REEs). After completing his Ph.D. at the University of Lorraine (Nancy, France), he worked as a postdoc researcher at the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter (UK) working on the geometallurgy of cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In 2019, Quentin joined the GTK with the objective of developing innovative integrated approaches to support mine value chain optimisation, responsible sourcing, reducing technical risk, maximising resource efficiency and minimising environmental impacts. Quentin is also the officer for Scandinavia within the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS)   Initiative on Forensic Geology (IFG).

Mr. Jani Lösönen is the Vice President, Europe, Agnico Eagle Mines LTD, and Managing Director of Agnico Eagle Finland Oy since 2017. Mr. Lösönen holds several board member positions in various companies and organizations. He is the Chair of the board of the Finnish Mining Association (FinnMin) and he is also a member of Euromines Executive Committee and board member in Lapland Chamber of Commerce.

He has nearly 25 years of professional experience in the industry. Prior joining Agnico Eagle, Mr. Lösönen has held various production and business executive positions in Kemira and Ekokem. He holds Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from the Lappeenranta University of Technology.

Mika Riipi is the County Governor of the Regional Council of Lapland. He started in this position on March 1, 2013. Previously he has been the Municipality Director in Posio (2006-2013), town secretary in Haapavesi (2004-2006), and senior adviser in the Municipality department at the Ministry of the Interior (2002-2004).

Mr. Riipi holds a Master´s degree in Administrative Sciences, majoring in municipality jurisdiction. He graduated from the University of Tampere in 2002. Mr. Riipi is the Chair of the FEM Steering Committee.

Martyn Churchouse is a geologist with 40 years’ experience working in the mining industry. He has worked for both the Majors including Anglo American and Gold Fields and has had experience as a board director and founder of a number of AIM listed mining and resource companies. More recently he has worked for Lundin Mining New Business Development and has been working with the Colin Bird group of companies in both Fennoscandia and southern Africa for the past few years.

Tero Niiranen is Research Professor at Geological Survey of Finland. His research includes ore formation of hydrothermal deposits, mineral systems, tectonic evolution of mineralized belts, 3D modeling applied to mineral deposits and mineralized belts, and GIS based prospectivity modeling.

He received a M.Sc. degree in geology in University of Turku in 2000 and a Ph.D. degree in economic geology in University of Helsinki in 2005. He has over 20 years’ experience in research and exploration of mineral deposits working with academia, research organizations and industry.

Pertti Sarala is a geologist and geochemist who is working as a Professor in Applied Geochemistry in the Oulu Mining School of the University of Oulu. Fields of interest include applied geochemistry, till and weathered bedrock geochemistry and mineral exploration as well as Quaternary and glacial geology, geomorphology and chronology. He is experienced in glacial processes, mineral exploration (project leading, field studies, concepts, training), development of surface geochemical exploration methods (in EU funded projects) and teaching and supervision of the thesis projects. He has twenty years’ experience of mineral exploration and methodological development in the Geological Survey of Finland. He is a member of the Association of the Applied Geochemistry (AAG), the INQUA Peribaltic working group, NORDQUA, European Geosciences Union (EGU), steering committee of the PalaeoArc working group, and unofficial Finnish geochemical working group Geokemian Rengas. Furthermore, he is member of the editorial boards of several scientific journals.

Laura is a geologist with 20+ years’ experience working in academia, government and industry. An igneous petrologist with a M.Sc. degree in 1999 and a Ph.D. degree in 2004 from the University of Helsinki, Finland, she has worked with various subjects including crustal evolution of Fennoscandia, uranium geology, mining regional collaboration and, since 2018, iron oxide-apatite ores. She currently works as a section manager in the Exploration department of LKAB in Kiruna, Sweden.

Tobias is Associate Professor in Ore Geology at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden. His research includes structural controls on ore deposits and the regional structural and tectonic evolution of mineralized belts. In addition, he is active in the field of 3-D and 4-D modeling applied to mineral belts, mineral deposits, and related structures. He received a M.Sc. degree in geology from Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, in 2008 and a Ph.D. degree in ore geology from Luleå University of Technology, Sweden, in 2013.

Maria Lohela is Country Manager for Rio Tinto Exploration Finland Oy. Maria joined Rio Tinto in 2021.

Prior to that, Maria worked in Finnish politics, and in the private sector in localisation and communication.

Matti is a geologist with vast experience in the mineral resource industry and has held senior technical and management positions in exploration, mining and minerals processing technology companies. Matti is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and Chartered Professional under the discipline of Geology.

Sabina received her PhD (2009) degrees from the University of Zagreb, Croatia. In 2013, she moved to the University of Auckland, New Zealand, for a two-year research fellowship, studying ore-forming processes in low-sulfidation epithermal gold systems. Since 2015, she has been affiliated with UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø as an associate professor in ore deposit geology and geochemistry. In 2019, she joined K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research at University of Bergen, Norway, where she holds an adjunct position in ore geology.

Her principal area of research is geochemistry of hydrothermal ore deposits, including mineral chemistry, fluid inclusion studies, stable isotope geochemistry, and thermodynamic modelling. During the past 20 years, she has been involved in studies of a wide spectrum of ore deposits, including epithermal, Carlin-type, hydrothermal-metasomatic, skarn, SEDEX, MVT and pegmatite deposits, as well as in several environmental studies. Recently she is mostly working on submarine hydrothermal systems along the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridges and volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits, orogenic gold deposits and sediment hosted Cu deposits in Norway.

Harry is an Exploration Geologist, working for Kuniko on their portfolio of Norwegian battery metals projects. He has previously worked with vein-hosted Gold systems in North Wales, and holds a BSc in Geology and MSc in Exploration Geology from the Camborne School of Mines. Following on from work completed during his MSc, Harry has focussed on developing and implementing an exploration strategy for finding new opportunities in the Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide belts of Central Norway.

Juhani is the Chief Geoscientist in the GeoPool and Aurion Resources Ltd. exploration team. Before the current position he worked at GTK as a Senior Scientist. His work experience at GTK includes Head of Unit, Division Manager, Research Professor and Senior Scientist. He has also worked as a Senior Geologist for the Store Norske Spitsbergen Grubekompani. Juhani has gained his PhD from the University of Western Australia on the structural and depositional controls of gold. After PhD and Post-Doctoral studies he worked as an independent consultant and a Principal Geoscientist for the Georeality Group in Australia.

Jan Sverre is Senior Geologist in the Section for Mineral Resources at the Geological Survey of Norway. He received his M.Sc. in ore geology from the Norwegian Technical University (NTH), now NTNU, in 1981. His main scientific interests include sediment-hosted Cu, orogenic gold, iron formations and VMS deposits, as well as the metallogeny of the Fennoscandian Shield. He is active in Nordic-Russian collaboration projects (FODD). Jan Sverre has extensive experience with regional-scale bedrock mapping, and he was heavily involved in a regional mapping programme in Mozambique. He was leader of MINN – a mapping programme focussing on the mineral resources in North-Norway (2011-15), and in 2019-20 he was leader of the Mineral Resources team at NGU.

Matti is the CEO of Finnish Minerals Group and Vice Chairman of the Board of Terrafame Oy. Prior to his career in metals and mining, he has worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Economic Affairs as well as in other ministries in Finland. Currently, he is also the Chairma of the Finnish Battery Industries.

Krisztian is a senior Ore Geology researcher at the Geological Survey of Finland where he has been working in several projects related to mineral exploration potential mapping and modelling, utilizing Mineral Systems approach and new exploration methodology developments by using field portable and laboratory-based analytical technologies, in the field of Critical and Battery Metals. Prior to joining GTK he has worked in the exploration and mining industry for 20 years in 12 countries with various commodities and from target generation to resource.