Toni Laaksonen

CEO, FLSmidth

Toni Laaksonen is an accomplished executive with over 15 years of international leadership experience in the global mining technology and services industry. He joined FLSmidth in June 2025 as Service Business Line President. Demonstrating strong leadership and a commitment to driving operational excellence, he was subsequently appointed Chief Executive Officer of FLSmidth on February 4, 2026. In his role as CEO, Toni is responsible for steering the company’s strategic direction from its corporate headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Before joining FLSmidth, Toni served as President and CEO of Glaston Corporation, a leading technology, solutions, and service provider for the glass processing industry. At Glaston, Toni was instrumental in enhancing the company’s service offerings and global customer support. He successfully restructured the global sales and service organisation, resulting in significant increases in service sales and improved customer satisfaction.

Earlier in his career, Toni held a variety of business, sales, and service leadership roles with prominent organisations such as Metso, Outotec, ABB, and Posti Group. Across these roles, he established a strong track record in profitability improvement and sales growth, achieved through both organic business development and strategic acquisitions.

Toni is recognized for his commitment to operational excellence, customer-centric innovation, and sustainable business growth. His leadership style is characterized by a focus on developing high-performing teams, driving continuous improvement, and fostering strong customer relationships across international markets. Toni holds a Master of Science degree in Technology from Tampere University of Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Vaasa. He is married and has two daughters.

Marna Cloete

Ceo, Ivanhoe Mines

Marna Cloete is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Ivanhoe Mines, appointed CEO on February 24, 2025, after serving as President since 2020 and previously as Chief Financial Officer from 2009 to 2020. With more than 20 years of experience in strategic finance and resource development, she has played a key role in the company’s growth since joining in 2006.

Under her leadership, Ivanhoe Mines advanced major global mining projects, including the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the reopening of the Kipushi mine, and the development of the Platreef Project in South Africa. She has also led strategic partnerships with companies such as Zijin Mining, CITIC Metal, and Itochu, secured significant financing for expansion, and supported initiatives like the Kamoa Centre of Excellence to develop future mining leaders in Africa. Cloete is a Chartered Accountant (SA) with a Master’s Degree in Taxation from the University of Pretoria and is internationally recognized for her leadership in the global mining industry.

James Marzocca

Vice Chair, Hatch

James Marzocca is Vice Chair of Hatch and up to recently was also Hatch’s Global Managing Director: Project Management and Construction and served on the Hatch Board of Directors. He is a Project Manager with more than 45 years of varied operations and project execution experience in mining, smelting, refining and minerals processing. The first part of his career was spent in mining operations in South Africa and for the last 30 years he has been working on projects for Hatch’s clients globally.

His main interests lie in creating and leading teams to implement large, challenging and complex projects safely. In particular, he enjoys mentoring smart, hard-working, young people and seeing them develop. James has a particular interest in helping mining clients to innovatively execute projects in the most capital efficient manner, looking for ways to execute project safer, quicker, cheaper and more sustainable. James has led the execution of projects globally on remote sites in South Africa, USA, Australia, DRC, Canada, New Caledonia, Malaysia and Brazil including Vale’s Long Harbour Processing Plant Phase 2 in Canada, Vale’s Onca Puma Smelter in Brazil, the Koniambo Nickel Project and the Goro Nickel Project in New Caledonia.

Karina Gistelinck

President Potash, BHP

Karina Gistelinck is a seasoned global executive with a proven track record in the resources industry and hands-on experience in law practice and management consulting.

Her career began at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in Belgium where she led a number of M&A and antitrust cases. From there, she joined McKinsey & Company supporting strategic and operational improvement projects for high-profile mining, energy and pharmaceutical clients.

Returning to her native Brazil, Karina held General Manager roles at Vale leading the Performance Management and Procurement portfolios. Six years at Rio Tinto followed in Singapore and Quebec where she held roles overseeing strategy and business analysis as well as sales and marketing for various commodities across the globe.

Karina joined BHP in late 2021 as Vice President Strategy and Market Intelligence, based in Melbourne, Australia. In this role, she was instrumental in refreshing BHP’s global strategy.

She was appointed Asset President Potash in late 2023 and is responsible for the delivery and ongoing operations of the company’s potash business in Saskatchewan, Canada.

A passionate and present leader, Karina draws on her extensive global experience to bring people together and solve the resources industry’s unique challenges.

Karina holds a Master of Laws and Economics from KU Leuven in Belgium and a Master of Laws from the University of Chicago. She speaks Portuguese, English, French, Dutch and Spanish.

Karina is the proud mother of three children.

Marna Cloete

CEO, Ivanhoe Mines

President and Chief Executive Officer

Marna Cloete was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ivanhoe Mines on February 24, 2025 and has been the President of the company since April 2020, leveraging over 20 years of expertise in strategic finance, resource development, and organizational transformation. Since joining Ivanhoe Mines in 2006, she has played a vital role in the company’s evolution, notably serving as Chief Financial Officer from 2009 to 2020. During this time, Marna’s financial acumen and visionary leadership laid the groundwork for Ivanhoe Mines’ sustainable growth and global success.

Marna has been instrumental in driving some of the mining industry’s most significant achievements. Under her leadership, Ivanhoe Mines successfully developed and launched production at the Kamoa-KakulaCopper Complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), one of the world’s largest and highest-grade copper projects. She also guided the reopening of the Kipushi mine, renowned for its ultra-high-grade zinc, copper, germanium, and silver deposits, and continues to oversee the development of the Platreef Project in South Africa, the world’s largest precious metals development, which includes palladium, platinum, nickel, copper, and gold.

Her leadership extends beyond operations to strategic partnerships that have transformed Ivanhoe Mines’ footprint on the global stage. Marna played a pivotal role in forging joint ventures with Zijin Mining and partnerships with companies such as CITIC Metal and a Japanese consortium led by Itochu. Under her guidance, Ivanhoe raised critical funding, including a US$490 million equity offering in December 2023 and a US$750 million debt package to fuel expansion in January 2024. She also positioned Ivanhoe Mines as the first company to utilize the Lobito Atlantic Rail Corridor for mineral exports, unlocking cost efficiencies and international trade opportunities.

A champion of education and local empowerment, Marna also spearheaded the establishment of the Kamoa Centre of Excellence in October 2023. This higher-education facility, launched in collaboration with the DRC government and President Félix Tshisekedi, is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of mining leaders in Africa.

Before joining Ivanhoe Mines, Marna honed her expertise at PwC, specializing in the mining and metals sector, and held a senior reporting position at Group Five Construction Ltd., a publicly traded South African construction firm. She is a Chartered Accountant (SA) and holds a Master’s Degree in Taxation from the University of Pretoria.

Globally recognized for her leadership, Marna serves on the Executive Committee of the International Copper Association. She has also contributed as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee for Centamin plc. Her exceptional contributions to the mining industry have cemented her reputation as one of the foremost leaders in the global resources sector.

Piia Karhu

Global President of Mining, Metso

Piia Karhu, Dr. (Business Administration), is the President Minerals business area at Metso (previously Metso Outotec) since 11/2024. Previously she worked as President, Metals business area and Senior Vice President, Business Development at Metso. She has been a Member of the Metso Leadership Team since 2020. Prior to joining Metso she has held several leadership positions at Finnair since 2013.

Robert Friedland

Chairman, Ivanhoe Mines

Robert M. Friedland: Business Profile

For more than 30 years, international financier Robert Friedland has been recognized by leaders of the international financial sector and mineral resource industries as an entrepreneurial explorer, technology innovator and company builder.

Mr. Friedland’s enterprise and leadership gained prominent, industry recognition in January 2016 when he was inducted into the prestigious Canadian Mining Hall of Fame. The citation acknowledged his company-building and exploration achievements, honoring him as “a dynamic, transformative force in the Canadian and international mining industries” and “one of the most recognized mining personalities and achievers in the world”.

Mr. Friedland said at the ceremony that he shared the honor with several teams of dedicated individuals whose efforts with his companies during the past 30 years had contributed to a series of notable discoveries and new mines. Housed at the University of Toronto, the Hall of Fame is featured in the Treasures from Earth galleries at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.

In May 2017, Mr. Friedland received a Lifetime Achievement Award during the Canadian Mining Symposium at Canada House in London, England – a career recognition by the Northern Miner, the century-old flagship of Canada’s leading mining-industry media group. This follows the U.K.-based Mining Journal’s successive rankings of Mr. Friedland from 2016 through 2022 as one of the Top 20 Most Influential People shaping the future of the world of mining, declaring him “the undisputed king of junior development”. Also in 2016, Canada’s Financial Post Magazine named Mr. Friedland one of 25 members of its inaugural Power List – termed “the biggest, buzziest and most influential movers and shakers in Canada and beyond”.

In December 2021, Mr. Friedland was inducted into the American Mining Hall of Fame in a ceremony held in Tucson, Arizona, in recognition of his outstanding lifetime achievements advancing the American and/or global mineral resources industry. The citation acknowledged Mr. Friedland as “an entrepreneurial explorer, technology innovator and company builder” and someone who “has successfully developed a portfolio of respected public and private companies whose initiatives have led to several of the world’s most significant mineral discoveries and mine developments, applications of disruptive technologies and contributions to significant economic growth in established and emerging markets in the Asia Pacific Region, Southern Africa and the Americas.”

International philanthropic initiatives and engagements by the Friedland family are directed through the not-for-profit Friedland Foundation.

Mr. Friedland holds United States and Canadian citizenship and resides in Singapore. He graduated from Reed College, in Oregon, USA, in 1974 with an undergraduate degree in political science.

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Joe Lombard

Vice Chair of Hatch

Joe Lombard is a globally recognized leader in the design, construction, and operation of aluminium smelters, bringing over 40 years of international experience in developing and expanding large-scale metallurgical facilities. He joined Hatch as Global Managing Director of Light Metals, later leading the Metals & Mining practice, and was appointed Vice-Chairman in 2024. In this role, he continues to focus on the metals sector while strengthening executive-level relationships with key strategic clients.

Previously, Joe served as President and CEO of Aluminérie Alouette, the largest aluminium smelter in the Americas, where he successfully led a multi-billion-dollar expansion project in Québec, now regarded as a global benchmark for quality, cost, safety, and schedule performance. Throughout his career, he has overseen major metallurgical projects across Europe, the Americas, Australia, China, South Africa, and the Middle East, and played a key role in expanding Hatch’s global footprint, including strategic initiatives in green steel, green aluminium, and the battery supply chain. Joe holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pretoria and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) in Business Economics from the University of South Africa. He is actively involved in several international business and engineering organizations and is fluent in English, Afrikaans, Dutch, and German.

Inge Hofkens

COO, Aurubis Multimetal Recycling

Inge Hofkens, holding a master’s degree in applied economics, began her professional journey in 1993 as a scrap purchaser at Metallo, Belgium.

Over the course of nearly three decades, she has widened her expertise in secondary materials, ascending through key roles encompassing purchasing, processing, trading, as well as progression moving into sales, metal price risk management, marketing, and strategic business development.
From 2018 onwards she has played a pivotal role in the sales process and post integration of the Metallo Group into Aurubis Group.

In 2021, she assumed the role of Managing Director at Aurubis Olen, Belgium. As of January 1, 2023, she has taken on the esteemed position of Chief Operations Officer Multimetal Recycling on the Aurubis AG Executive Board, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.

Liz Dennett

CEO of Endolith

Liz Dennett is the Founder and CEO of Endolith, an industrial biotechnology company applying biological intelligence to copper extraction in real world heap leach environments. She brings nearly two decades of experience spanning microbial geochemistry, mining innovation, and large scale data and analytics systems.

Liz leads Endolith’s strategy, field deployment roadmap, and integration of biology, chemistry, engineering, and data into operating mine sites. Her work focuses on translating first principles science into deployable systems that operators can trust, run, and scale across variable copper ores.

David Strang

Chairman Board of Ero Copper

Mr. Strang co-founded Ero Copper in May 2016 and currently serves as Executive Chairman, following his tenure as Chief Executive Officer and Director from 2016 to 2024. Before Ero Copper, he was President and CEO of Lumina Copper Corp., which was acquired by First Quantum Minerals Limited in August 2014. His executive leadership experience includes serving as President and CEO of Lumina Royalty Corp. (acquired by Franco-Nevada Corporation in 2011), Global Copper Corp. (acquired by Teck Resources in 2008), and Lumina Resources Corp. (acquired by Western Copper Corp. in 2006).

Additionally, Mr. Strang held senior roles as President of Regalito Copper Corp. (acquired by Pan Pacific in 2006) and Vice President, Corporate Development of Northern Peru Copper Corp. (acquired by China Minmetals and Jiangxi Copper in 2008) and the original Lumina Copper Corp. Throughout his 30-year career in the mining sector, Mr. Strang has developed deep expertise in corporate and asset valuation. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Earth Sciences from Stanford University.

Mariel Renteria

CEO of Mixto

Mariel Renteria is CEO of Mixto, a global platform connecting people, capital, and technology to accelerate breakthrough innovation in critical minerals. A former innovation executive at BHP and Eramet, she has built and led international technology portfolios across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, partnering with 50+ VCs, startups, OEMs, and research institutions.

An investor and board member across multiple sectors, and co-founder of an accelerator supporting 250+ enterprises, Mariel champions radical collaboration, bridging innovators and corporate mining to unlock transformation at scale.

Mikael Staffas

CEO of Boliden

Mikael Staffas is the President and CEO of Boliden since 2018. He has been a member of the top management group at Boliden since 2011, first as CFO and then as Head of Business Area Mines.

Before joining Boliden, Mikael was the CFO of the Swedish forest products group Södra and before that he was a Partner at McKinsey & Co in Stockholm and in Moscow. Mikael holds a MSc in Engineering Physics from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleu, France.

Ivan Lopez

VP of BHP

Ivan Lopez is the Vice President Value Engineering at BHP, where he leads the enterprise Value Engineering function with accountability for advancing value-chain optimisation, capital efficiency, and performance improvement initiatives across the company’s global portfolio. In this role, he also oversees the implementation and application of Value Chain Digital Twins, enabling integrated assessment of operational performance, investment decisions, and long-term value outcomes.

Ivan joined BHP in 2016 to support the establishment of the Maintenance and Engineering Centre of Excellence, where he led the development of the Asset Management and Maintenance Strategy capabilities, helping shape enterprise approaches to support asset performance, reliability and engineering excellence across operations. He subsequently lead the creation of the Value Engineering function, which now leads as Vice President, focused on improving end-to-end value delivery through integrated technical, operational, AI and Digital Twin approaches.

Prior to joining BHP, Ivan was Global Director of Asset Management at Hatch, where he led advisory programs spanning asset performance, maintenance transformation, operational readiness, commissioning and ramp up, as well as the validation of greenfield and brownfield projects, supporting system capacity verification to strengthen confidence in major capital investments for mining and industrial clients worldwide.

Ivan has extensive experience across operations, maintenance, engineering, and large-scale transformation programs, supporting organisations in improving operational outcomes while strengthening long-term asset performance. Ivan holds degrees in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and has more than 25 years of experience across the global mining, industrial and engineering sectors.»

Karla Mills

EVP & Chief Project Development Officer, Teck

As the Executive Vice President of Teck’s Projects Group, Karla is responsible for the successful delivery of capital projects across Teck. Karla brings more than 25 years of project development experience and leverages her successful leadership and project development experience to embed Teck’s values and sustainability goals in every aspect of Project Development and Project Delivery. Karla is an advocate for equity, inclusion, and diversity in both the mining and construction industry and is passionate about promoting diverse thinking to innovatively challenge the way Teck develops and delivers projects. Karla is a former Chair of Mining for Miracles (2019-2022).

Karla graduated with a B.Sc. in Geological Engineering from the University of Manitoba, has a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from York University and is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of British Columbia. Karla’s career has been in project delivery, first in her area of subject matter expertise (hydrogeology and contaminant transport) and then progressively to larger, multidisciplined projects in Oil and Gas and Mining. Karla was a part owner in a 1500-person engineering company (Wardrop) that sold to a larger EPCM firm (TetraTech) in 2008. She remained with TetraTech until 2013 at which point, she joined Teck Resources, first as the Program Manager and then Program Director for the Water Projects in the Coal Business Unit. In 2018 Karla became the Vice President, Projects. In September 2023 progressed to the Senior Vice President, Projects and in September 2024 progressed into her current role. Karla has worked on projects in various locations across Canada, the United States, Australia, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Africa.

Natascha Viljoen

CEO, Newmont

Natascha Viljoen is President and Chief Executive Officer of Newmont Corporation, the world’s leading gold company.

With over 30 years of international mining experience, Natascha has held senior leadership roles across multiple commodities and continents. Prior to joining Newmont as Chief Operating Officer in 2023, she served as Chief Executive Officer of Anglo American Platinum (now Valterra), the world’s largest primary producer of platinum. Throughout her career at Anglo American, BHP, and Lonmin, she built a reputation for safety leadership, operational discipline, and developing high-performance teams.

A second-generation miner from South Africa, Natascha’s early exposure to the industry—accompanying her father, a winding engine driver, to work—instilled a deep respect for mining and its people. This foundation drives her belief that mining can be a force for good when innovation meets responsible practice. At Newmont, she focuses on operational excellence, portfolio optimization, and embedding safety and sustainability into the company’s growth strategy, delivering value for shareholders, employees, host communities, and society.

Luis Miguel Castilla

ED of Videnza Institute

Luis Miguel Castilla holds a Ph.D in Economics from Johns Hopkins University. He served in various capacities for the Government of Peru, including as Minister of Economy and Finance and Ambassador to the United States. He has over twenty years of professional experience at multilateral development banks, holding senior management positions at the Inter-American Development Bank and the Development Bank of Latin America-CAF. He is a member of the Inter- American Dialogue and has held scholarly positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at Universidad del Pacifico in Peru.

Dr. Castilla has written extensively on development, public finance, public policies and energy transition. He currently serves as independent board member, executive director at Videnza Instituto in Lima, Peru and is Senior Visiting Fellow at the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics.

Sarah Gordon

CEO and Co-founder Satarla

Dr Sarah Gordon (Professor of Practice) – Imperial College London, CEO and Co-founder Satarla, Responsible Raw Materials, Critical Productions, and Board member for WIM UK and GfGD.

Dr Gordon is the co-founder and CEO of Satarla sustainability and risk management¹, co-founder of the not-for-profit Responsible Raw Materials² and production company ³Critical Productions. She is also a Professor of Practice at Imperial College London.

Sarah started her career as an exploration geologist before moving into risk management and sustainability. Sarah is regularly invited to advise organisations and governments on raw materials and is a member of the UK Government Expert Committee on Raw Materials. She also works with many natural resource companies including operators, investors and innovators who work in the sector.

In recent years, Sarah has not only established two multimillion dollar Research Centers, but also created and presented the award-winning documentary: ⁴100 Perceptions: Raw Materials.

Tim O’Connor

Resource Strategy & Growth, BHP

Tim O’Connor is the Group Exploration Officer at BHP.

In his current role, Tim has accountability for BHP’s global Exploration efforts – including the innovative Xplor incubator.

Prior to stepping into the Exploration, Tim led the Resource Centre of Excellence and Legacy Assets – with functional accountability for Geoscience, Resource Engineering, Tailings and Processing across the group, as well as operational accountability for 24 mine sites in various states of closure.

A strong believer in the solving complex challenges across the value chain, Tim led the integration of the OZ Minerals business into BHP following its acquisition in 2023.

Tim has been at BHP since 2006 and has worked in both the Petroleum and Minerals businesses – holding senior roles in Strategy, Exploration and Production. Tim has degrees in both Geology and Geophysics from Boston College.

Juan Luis Kruger Sayán

CEO – MINSUR

Juan Luis Kruger Sayán, CEO of the Mining Division of BRECA since March 2013. Mr. Kruger has more than 25 years serving in top management positions in multinational companies in the mining, financial, telecommunications, commercial aviation and consumer goods industries in various countries of America, as well as experience in strategic consulting at McKinsey Co.

Prior to Minsur, Mr. Kruger was the Executive Vice-President for the Americas of Gold Fields Ltd. and CEO of Gold Fields La Cima S.A. He previously served as CEO of Lan Peru S.A. and CFO of Glencore´s operations for the region.

Juan Luis is also Director and member of the Executive Committee of the Sociedad Nacional de Minería, Petróleo y Energía of Perú and Past President of the Mining Sector. He holds a degree in Business Administration from Universidad del Pacifico and a Master in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Jorge Gómez

CEO, Collahuasi

Chief Executive Officer
Compañía Minera doña Inés de Collahuasi SCM

A civil engineer specializing in mining from the University of Atacama, with more than 30 years of experience in the industry and executive training at Kellogg School of Management—The CEO’s Management Program—, Jorge Gómez has led Collahuasi since 2012. Under his leadership, the company has established itself as the second largest private copper producer in the country and one of the top three globally, standing out as one of the safest, most efficient, and most sustainable mining operations in the world.

He is president of the Collahuasi Foundation, which promotes technical and professional education in Tarapacá, and actively participates in associations such as the Mining Council, Sonami, and the International Copper Association. In 2025, he was recognized as Executive of the Year in Chile for his transformative contribution to Chilean mining.

Iván Arriagada

CEO, Antofagasta PLC

Iván Arriagada has been CEO of Antofagasta plc, the only Chilean company listed on the London Stock Exchange, since 2016. He joined the Group in 2015, serving as the chief executive officer of the holding’s mining company, Antofagasta Minerals.

Mr. Arriagada is a commercial engineer from the Adolfo Ibáñez Business School at Universidad Federico Santa María, and has a Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics. He previously held the post of Chief Financial Officer at Chilean state copper mining giant Codelco.

Prior to that, he served at BHP Billiton as Operations Vice-President, Base Metals and before this was Chief Financial Officer for the Base Metals group also at BHP Billiton.

Before entering the world of copper mining, Mr. Arriagada spent a good part of his career in the oil and gas industry, at Royal Dutch Shell International, holding various posts in finance and business development in Chile, England, the U.S. and Argentina. Mr. Arriagada is also very active in mining industry associations, such as the International Copper Association, the International Council on Mining and Metals and the Mining sector governors group of the World Economic Forum, to promote the use of copper as well as sustainable production.

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