Marketing & Conference Manager
Phone: (+61) 8 9321 0355
Suite 9, 1297 Hay Street,
West Perth
Western Australia, 6005
P.O. Box 1589,
West Perth
Western Australia, 6872
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Dan Lougher is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Western Areas, a nickel mining and exploration company which listed on the Australia Stock Exchange in July 2000.
Dan is a qualified Mining Engineer with over 38 years’ experience in all aspects of resource and mining project exploration, feasibility, development and operations.
Mr Lougher is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy.
Minister for Mines and Petroleum; Energy; Industrial Relations and Member for Cannington
Bill Johnston was sworn in as the Mines and Petroleum, Commerce and Industrial Relations, Electoral Affairs, and Asian Engagement Minister in March 2017.
This occurred a week after the WA Labor Party’s landslide victory against the Liberal Government.
As our State’s first Asian Engagement Minister, Minister Johnston’s focus was to capitalise on the rapid population and economic growth in Asia to create more job-boosting opportunities in Western Australia.
The Minister has a particular affinity with Indonesia, having spent time in West Java as a high school exchange student, and he maintains a working proficiency in both written and spoken Indonesian.
After almost two years in those roles, Minister Johnston was appointed Energy Minister on December 13, 2018.
To accommodate these changes, and to focus on this important new role, the Asian Engagement, Commerce and Electoral Affairs portfolios were handed over to other Cabinet Ministers.
He retains the Mines and Petroleum and Industrial Relations portfolios.
In Opposition he served as Shadow Minister for State Development and Energy from 2012, and Shadow Minister for Mines and Petroleum from 2013.
He was a Member of the Economics and Industry Standing Committee and Deputy Chair of the Inquiry into Domestic Gas Prices from 2010 to 2011.
Prior to entering Parliament, he was the State Secretary of WA Labor from 2001 until 2008, with responsibility for all State and Federal election campaigns.
During this time he was also a member of the Australian Labor Party’s National Executive.
As Assistant State Secretary of WA Labor from 1998 until 2001, his duties included creating and operating the Labor Business Roundtable, that connects WA Labor with business, industry and the not-for-profit sector in WA.
In 1985, he was a delegate to the International Youth Conference in Kingston, Jamaica during the UN International Youth Year; he participated in the Australian Young Political Leaders Program delegation to Indonesia in 1991; he participated in the US State Department’s Australian Young Political Leaders tour for the Mid-Term Elections in 2002; and in 2006 he was an ALP International Delegate for the UK Labour Party National Conference.
He was a senior official of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association for eight years, President of ACT Young Labor in 1988, and appointed by Prime Minister Bob Hawke as Youth Director to the Board of the Australian Bicentennial Authority from 1985 until 1989.
Chief Executive Officer
Mr Platel is a geologist with close to 20 years’ experience in the minerals industry, in both mining and exploration roles across a wide range of commodities. Recently, Mr Platel has worked as an independent strategic consultant focusing on project evaluation, prior to which he spent 12 years in South America in mining and exploration. He has a proven track record of exploration success having discovered and developed several major deposits including the world-class Santa Rita Nickel deposit (>1Mt contained Ni metal).
Chief Operating Officer
Tim brings more than 25 years of senior management experience and hands-on technical and production experience within the mining industry, including a stint managing Rio Tinto’s Palabora copper smelter and refinery in South Africa, which produces around 120,000 tonnes of copper metal each year. Before joining Australian Mines, Tim’s most recent role involved managing Alcoa’s Kwinana aluminium refinery in Western Australia, including its 950 person workforce.
Non-Executive Director
Martin is a geologist with over 49 years’ exploration and mining experience acquired through fieldwork, research and management of Australia-wide and offshore programmes in Indonesia, North America, the Southwest Pacific region and Southern Africa.
Corporate sector experience stems from 24 years as a director of ASX listed companies.
Given this is a nickel conference, his relevant experience commenced in 1970 when he joined International Nickel Australia Ltd initially at their Widgiemooltha operations which included the Mt Edwards mine until he was the last man standing at INCO and made responsible for the sale of INCO’s assets to WMC in 1977.
That year he joined Anaconda Australia as their nickel geologist and was back at Widgiemootha responsible for the Redross Mine area exploration.
During this time, he also worked on the Yakabindie/Six Mile nickel deposit and in 1983 he ended up being tasked with the disposal of Anaconda’s Widgiemooltha nickel assets again to WMC. In 1985, Martin together with the four remaining Anaconda geologists bought the Australian and Indonesian assets of Anaconda and merged them with Dominion Oil and Gas to form Dominion Mining Ltd a very successful open pit gold miner.
There followed many years of gold, base metals and uranium exploration leading eventually to rebirth as a nickel geologist for Chase Mining in their Canadian aspirations.
Managing Director
David Southam is the Managing Director of Mincor having commenced in February 2019. David brings extensive industry experience including significant capital markets expertise, a successful M&A track record, familiarity with the set-up and operation of joint ventures, negotiation of substantial international commodity offtake agreements and has a background covering base and precious metals, bulk materials, contracting and industrial logistics. David is a Certified Practicing Accountant has more than 25 years’ experience in accounting, banking and finance across the resources and industrial sectors. David was an Executive Director at Western Areas from 2010 to 2018 and until recently a Non-Executive Director of Kidman Resources up to the Wesfarmers takeover announcement . He is currently a non-executive director of Ramelius Resources, a member of the Audit and Compliance Committee of Curtin University Council, and a has been member of the WA Advisory Board of Starlight Children’s Foundation for 9 years.
Managing Director
Richard is a founding shareholder and Managing Director of Cassini Resources. Since listing on the ASX in 2012 as an “Explorer”, he has overseen the exploration and acquisition strategy that now sees Cassini with a strong portfolio of development and exploration projects. This includes the West Musgrave Project, one of the largest undeveloped nickel and copper projects in Australia, currently part of a Joint venture arrangement with OZ Minerals Ltd.
Richard has been involved in a number of business areas including healthcare, construction and engineering, and information technology. He is also the Non-Executive Chairman of ASX listed Information Technology provider, Empired Ltd
Managing Director
Peter is a process engineer with 30 years corporate experience in the minerals industry specialising in financing, marketing, business development and general corporate activities.
Peter has extensive experience with the development and operation of base metal and gold mining projects in Australia having been responsible for metals marketing and various corporate functions relating the Golden Grove zinc/copper project, the Silver Swan, Mt Keith and Cawse nickel projects and the Stawell gold mine.
Peter has been Managing Director of Panoramic Resources Limited (ASX: PAN) since 2001 and has been instrumental in taking the Company from the acquisition of the Savannah nickel project in the Kimberley through IPO, feasibility study, financing, construction and into the operational phase together with the successful purchase and re-commissioning of the Company’s second nickel mine, Lanfranchi. Between 2004-2016 Panoramic produced approximately 20,000t nickel per annum.
Peter is Chairman of rare earth developer Peak Resources Limited (ASX:PEK) and none-executive director of base metals/gold explorer Pacifico Minerals Limited (ASX:PMY). Peter is also Chairman of Youth Focus, an independent not for profit organisation aimed at supporting young people and their families to overcome the issues associated with suicide, depression and self-harm.
Peter’s ambitions for Panoramic are to restart both nickel operations when the nickel price returns to a sustainable level and become a global diversified mining house and an ASX/S&P 100 Company.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Peter Bradford joined Independence Group NL (IGO) as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in March 2014. He is a qualified metallurgist with over 35 years of experience in gold and base metals mining operations, exploration and development, and has held senior positions internationally and within Australia. Peter is a graduate of the Western Australian School of Mines, a fellow of Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, President of the Association of Exploration & Mining Companies and a WA Mining Club committee member.
Executive Chairman
John is a founding shareholder of St George with over 30 years experience in the resources, banking and legal sectors. Prior to establishing St George in 2010, John was Country Head for Commerzbank in Sydney overseeing numerous loans to resources companies.
At St George, he has positioned the company for significant growth in the era of the electric battery revolution with Australia’s latest nickel-copper sulphide discovery at Mt Alexander.
Managing Director
Mark Wilson is a Chartered Professional Engineer with extensive experience in remote area project construction and the corporate management of resource companies. He has held executive, non-executive and/or ownership roles in several resource-focussed companies over the past 20 years, including the last 14 years as Managing Director of Legend Mining Limited.
Managing Director
Scott Williamson is a Mining Engineer with a Commerce degree from the West Australian School of Mines and Curtin University. Mr Williamson started his career as an underground mining engineer in the goldfields of Western Australia. Mr Williamson has recent experience in equity capital markets with previous roles as a Resources Analyst at Hartleys and Investor Relations Manager at Resolute Mining. Mr Williamson has a unique blend of experience in mining and finance with both corporate and technical capabilities.
Chief Executive Officer
Andrew Penkethman is a resources sector executive and geologist with 25 years’ experience in the resources industry. His technical skills include project evaluation, early stage and near mine exploration, resource development, feasibility study management, permitting, stake holder engagement and mine development across open pit and underground operations within Australia and overseas. Commodities experience includes gold, base metals, battery minerals and energy commodities over a range of geological settings. Mr Penkethman’s technical expertise is complimented by over 13 years in executive roles with a strong corporate focus including strategic partner processes, joint venture management, financial modelling, and project acquisition and divestment. Mr Penkethman has ASX, AIM and TSX equity markets experience.
Mr Penkethman holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wollongong, is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
Perth, Western Australia