GD Delprat Distinguished Lecture: Flotation – understanding particles, processes and people

With over 35 years in operational and technical roles spanning copper, nickel, lead-zinc, and precious metals, Virginia brings deep expertise in mineral processing—with a particular passion for flotation and a steadfast devotion to family.

Her journey in mineral processing began with more than 15 years immersed in gold operations and at Mount Isa, where she mastered the intricacies of metallurgy while navigating engineering milestones and raising four children—project managing both with characteristic precision and resilience. During this time, she acted as Owners Representative, collaborating across operations, engineering contractors, and project teams to improve recoveries, concentrate quality, and concentrator operability and maintainability.

Virginia then spent 13 years in Sudbury, Canada in copper/nickel operations and project roles. As Manager of Mineral Processing Technology for Vale and later in consulting with Glencore’s XPS, she led high-impact initiatives while mentoring young engineers toward their P.Eng accreditation through targeted project work and personal development. Her blend of technical depth and people leadership transformed teams and delivered operational excellence.

Returning to Australia to support her children through university and care for aging parents, Virginia continued shaping the future of metallurgical innovation within the Glencore Technology and the Glencore Copper group. Her technical leadership drove unprecedented adoption of the Jameson Cell technology, and she developed company-wide technical standards spanning metallurgical processing, metal accounting, project and operational guidelines and best practices.

Joining Mineralis in late 2025 as a Principal Consultant she is enjoying providing technical expertise and advice to willing clients. Trading mining towns and cities for a coastal lifestyle.

Virginia served on the AusIMM Metallurgical Society from 2018 to 2025 and was Chair from 2022 to 2025, steering professional development initiatives and events that empowered industry professionals in metallurgy. She remains a vocal advocate for sustainable mineral development and ongoing professional advancement through continued involvement with AusIMM and advisory roles including the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute.

Virginia was named in the “100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining” (WIM100) in 2024.