Adelaide Branch

51st Essington Lewis Memorial Lecture 2025

PD Hours

Join the Adelaide Branch for one of the most anticipated events on the mining and business calendar — the 51st Essington Lewis Memorial Lecture.

About this event

This prestigious lecture honours the legacy of Essington Lewis (1881–1961), one of Australia’s most influential industrial leaders and a driving force behind the transformation of BHP into a global mining powerhouse.

Born in Burra, South Australia, Lewis trained as a mining engineer at the South Australian School of Mines and Industries, where he also gained national recognition as an elite footballer. His remarkable career with Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd began 118 years ago at its Broken Hill operations, and he went on to become Chairman and General Manager of BHP

Lewis is best known for spearheading the development of an efficient and internationally competitive Australian steel industry, and for leading BHP’s strategic expansion into coal and iron ore mining—a vision that ultimately positioned the company as the largest mining company in the world. Among his many accolades, Lewis was awarded The Institute Medal, the highest honour bestowed by the AusIMM, in 1940.

The Essington-Lewis Memorial Lecture, the premier technical event in the Adelaide Branch calendar, celebrates his enduring legacy by bringing together professionals, academics, and students to explore the future of mining, innovation, and industrial leadership in Australia.

This year, we are proud to welcome Rashpal Bhatti, Group Procurement Officer at BHP, as our keynote speaker. With a global perspective and deep expertise in procurement, supply chain strategy, and sustainability, Mr. Bhatti will share thought-provoking insights into the evolving role of procurement in shaping resilient and responsible industries throughout his own journey.

Speaker/s

Rashpal Bhatti

Group Procurement Officer , BHP

Rashpal was appointed Group Procurement Officer at
BHP in September 2024.

Based in Adelaide, Australia, Rashpal plays a pivotal role in shaping and executing BHP’s procurement strategy to align with the company’s broader
objectives of sustainability and responsible sourcing. His leadership is centered on cultivating strong supplier partnerships that deliver social value, support environmental stewardship, and advance decarbonisation. He is also instrumental in expanding BHP’s footprint in emerging markets, championing ethical standards and sustainable practices. In parallel, Rashpal maintains a strong focus on cost and cash preservation, ensuring that procurement strategies contribute to BHP’s financial resilience while supporting long-term value creation.

In his role, Rashpal is committed to enhancing the strategic capabilities of BHP’s procurement function. He integrates innovative technologies and fosters collaboration across global supply chains to streamline operations and maintain the company’s competitive edge. His approach balances ambitious goals with disciplined financial management, ensuring cost efficiency while delivering measurable value to BHP and its stakeholders.

Prior to his current position, Rashpal served as BHP’s Vice President of Maritime and Supply Chain Excellence. During his tenure leading the maritime team, he transformed the function into a commercially astute and thought-leading entity, responsible for securing the safest vessels at the
lowest cost for BHP’s operations. Under his leadership, BHP became the standard bearer for bulk shipping globally. Rashpal’s contributions earned him recognition in Lloyd’s List’s One Hundred People, which ranks influential figures in shipping, on three occasions, most recently in 2024.

In addition to his professional achievements, Rashpal has served on the Board of Directors for Tanglin Trust School and the Global Centre of maritime
Decarbonisation. His career at BHP spans over two decades, during which he has held senior positions in Marketing, Technology, and Procurement across Europe, India, and Singapore.

Rashpal’s academic background includes an honours degree in accounting and Finance from London. Before joining BHP, he honed his expertise in
commodities supply chains and trading at Schlumberger and Enron, providing him with a robust foundation that continues to inform his leadership today.