Our People
Mark Warren, Director
Mark is an engineer with over 28 years experience in the global mining industry. His experience includes technical, consulting and managerial roles across most commodities and geographies. Mark spent 15 years in the management of consulting services to the mining sector, most recently as CEO of a global mining consulting practice. He also has experience in mining equipment supply and manufacturing as well as working as an engineer in mining operations. Mark is also a Director and the Vice Chairman of Austmine, representing the mining technology and services industry of Australia. Mark has general knowledge across the mining industry and experience in a number of mergers and acquisitions.
Ian Glacken, Director
Ian is a geologist with postgraduate qualifications in geostatistics, mining geology and computing who has over 28 years worldwide experience in the mining industry. For over 10 years Ian managed and grew the resource evaluation function of a major mining consultancy. He also assumed responsibility for a training business that is among the most successful in the industry and initiated a Risk Services division. Ian’s skills are in resource evaluation, quantitative risk assessment, strategic advice, geostatistics, reconciliation, project management, statutory and competent person reporting and mining geology studies.
Andrew Law, Director
Andrew has over 28 years’ experience in the mining industry in Australia, Africa and South America. His extensive technical and management experience ranges from deep level underground mining environments (bulk and narrow vein); to large open pit environments (across multi commodities); and to large mineral sands dredging environments. Executive Management experience has been gained at both the senior operations level and corporate level with a range of Mining, Contracting and Consulting companies. Andrew’s specialist skills are in corporate strategic business planning and due diligence; management of feasibility studies; operational optimization, mentoring and performance reviews.
Paul Blackney, Principal
Paul is a geologist with over 27 years technical and operational experience, 19 years being in the development and expansion of a major mining consultancy before joining Optiro. Paul’s skills include resource evaluation, technical audits and reviews, geostatistics, reconciliation, grade control, competent persons reporting and project management. His experience includes extensive experience in many types of gold deposits from narrow vein extreme nugget variations through to porphyry copper gold styles, substantial Iron Ore experience and significant exposure to PGE, base metal, mineral sands and other commodities.
Christine Standing, Principal
Christine is a geologist with over 29 years worldwide experience in the exploration and mining industry. She has six years experience as an exploration geologist in gold and base metal exploration in Western Australia and over 23 years experience as a consultant. Christine has acted as a Competent Person for many commodities, including gold, silver, copper, mineral sands, nickel, chromium and kaolin. Her skills include geostatistical resource estimation, reconciliation and audits and she has experience in preparing independent competent person’s reports, due diligence reviews and mineral asset valuations.
Nick Hunt-Davies, Principal
Nick is a mining engineer with over 30 years worldwide experience in the mining industry. His experience covers up to general operational management, and from exploration through operations to the boardroom. Nick has operated in both open pit and underground mining environments in Africa, Canada and Australia and covered most mineral commodities and aspects and scales of mining operations. Nicks special skills are in general management, business development, due diligence and risk reviews, strategic and project management, operational optimisation, and peer reviewing studies and projects.
Mark Drabble, Principal
Mark is a geologist with nearly 20 years experience in underground and open-pit production, resource development, resource estimation, consulting and geological management at operational and corporate levels. To date, Mark has commodity experience in gold, nickel, manganese, chromite, copper, lead and zinc, and is proficient in the use of Surpac software for resource modelling and estimation. Mark’s skills are based on the application of practical geology, risk assessment, communication and team development.
David Gray, Principal
David is a geologist with more than 20 years experience predominantly gained in the Witwatersrand Gold, Copper Belt and Bushveld Complex Platinum deposits. In additional to his consulting experience David has worked with Anvil Mining and Anglo Platinum in senior roles. His experience includes exploration project management, data acquisition, production geology, resource evaluation, developing geological models and database systems. David has further depth of experience in geostatistical resource estimation, classification, reviews, audits and reporting across the precious and base metals commodities.
Michael Andrew, Principal
Michael is a geologist who has over 27 years technical and operational experience in the mining industry working in roles in exploration and mining throughout Australia and overseas. Prior to joining Optiro, he spent 8 years with a major mining consultancy. Before entering consultancy Michael spent 10 years with Newmont Australia and 5 years with BHP Steel. Michael has specific experience in geostatistical resource estimation, optimisation of resources, grade control and risk assessment, technical audits, due diligence studies and mine valuation studies, technical training and mentoring. Michael has had substantial and varied exposure to iron ore, gold and precious metals, base metals, copper, uranium and industrial mineral resources both within Australia and around the world.