North Queensland Resources Forum

Mike O’Kane founded Okane Consultants in 1996 to provide integrated mine planning, closure, and relinquishment solutions globally, while also developing solutions to support sustainable environmental assessments and mine permitting. He serves as Chair of Okane’s Board and continues to contribute as a senior technical advisor, bringing deep expertise in mine permitting, risk management, closure planning, and design.

Mike is widely recognized as a subject matter expert in landform and cover system design, as well as in the application of unsaturated zone hydrology and geochemistry. He also serves as a Director of the Landform Design Institute and as a Technical Advisor to the Board of Tersa Earth.

He holds a Global ESG Competent Boards designation and received the University of Saskatchewan Alumni Achievement Award in 2014 for global business development and philanthropy.

Simon is First Class Honours Graduate in Geology from the Australian National University (1975), and a PhD in Geology from La Trobe University (1980).
For almost 40 years Simon has been Managing Director and Principal Geologist of Terra Search where he has been directly involved in many mineral exploration and evaluation programs across Northern Australia, primarily base metals and gold but extending to a wide variety of commodities. In 2016, Simon was awarded the John Cambell Miles Medal by the Queensland Divisions of the Geological Society of Australia and the Australian Institute of Geosciences for contributions to economic geology, exploration technology and mineral discovery in Queensland.
Simon played a pivotal role in the discovery of the Highway-Reward deposit , siting the first hole into the massive sulphide ore-body in August, 1987 and managing and interpreting the initial drilling programs. His interest in north Queensland geology has extended to close involvement with the Geological Survey of Queensland playing a major role in the geological compilation of the 1996 Charters Towers and Ravenswood published 100,000 sheets and a major upgrading of the regional geology in 2016 .

Mike has over 27 years' experience in the mining industry, spanning gold, copper, base metals, bauxite and coal in open cut and underground operations across Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and Papua New Guinea. He joined Phosphate Hill Operations in June 2026, bringing deep expertise in operations management, geology, geotechnical engineering and mine planning.

Mike is a Chartered Professional Geologist (CP Geo) with the AusIMM and holds an SSE practicing certificate with Resources Safety & Health Queensland (RSHQ) for Open Cut and Underground Metalliferous Mines. He holds a Master of Science in Mineral Economics and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Economic Geology from Curtin University and James Cook University respectively, along with a Diploma of Business in Frontline Management.

Mike is committed to applying his technical and operational expertise to create value for his organisation and the broader community.

Dr. Nathan Chapman joined the Austral Exploration and Resource Development Team in 2022. He completed his PhD at CODES in 2019, focusing on the genesis of the Olympic Dam IOCG deposit and the broader crustal evolution of the Gawler Craton. He brings 15 years of industry experience across base (Cu–Zn–Pb) and precious metals (Au–Ag), spanning systems from Paleozoic VHMS–SEDEX and porphyry–epithermal–skarn environments in NSW to Proterozoic sediment-hosted copper and IOCG systems in SA and QLD.
Dr. Chapman is known for pairing strong technical capability with a field-first mindset, turning complex datasets into practical drilling programs. His exploration style prioritises direct geological observation and a boots-on-the-ground approach, consistently translating data and field insight into tangible exploration outcomes.

Nigel has been based in Brisbane since October 2025, leading CopperString's development on the ground here in Queensland. He brings over 25 years in the energy and utility sectors, with a track record spanning renewable generation, electricity transmission, pipelines and LNG infrastructure across more than 11 countries.

Nigel's focus is on delivering CopperString, a key piece of energy transmission infrastructure for the region, unlocking new generation and firming capacity for the region and supporting the mines, communities and industries that depend on reliable power along the corridor.

Prior to joining QIC, Nigel was Commercial Director for APA's pursuit of major transmission
projects in Australia, including the Verta Energy partnership with EDF, and lead Transgrid's
commercial arm, Lumea, which delivered over 10GW of renewable connections to the grid.

Maria James is the Chief Executive Officer of MITEZ (Mount Isa to Townsville Economic Development Zone), the peak regional economic development organisation representing the Mount Isa–Townsville corridor across North West Queensland.

In this role, she works with industry, government and regional communities to attract investment, strengthen supply chains and support sustainable economic growth across the region. Prior to joining MITEZ, Maria spent more than a decade with the Port of Townsville, leading trade and business development initiatives that expanded international export pathways for North Queensland industries and strengthened the port’s role as a key gateway connecting regional industries to global markets.

Originally from Tully in North Queensland, Maria brings a strong background in economics, international trade and regional development, and is passionate about advancing opportunities for Northern Australia.

Damien landed in Nth Qld 26 years ago from Melbourne as a fresh faced geology graduate. He worked underground in Mt Isa copper, in pit and underground roles at Ravenswood Gold Mine and explored for copper around Cloncurry before completing a PhD at JCU. Damien moved to Kalgoorlie and had discovery success with Gold Fields, Silver Lake Resources, Black Cat Syndicate and Spectrum Metals. He moved the family back to Townsville and established Sunshine Metals, a proudly Townsville-based, ASX listed gold and copper explorer - soon to be miner.

Steve Harper has 25 years experience in exploration and mining geology in Australia and overseas. Attaining his Honours degree from Monash University in Victoria Steve has worked extensively through Eastern Australia. Steve is the Exploration Manager for Ravenswood Gold and has worked at Ravenswood for over 7 years. During this time Steve has helped to develop and expand understanding of the geological model for Ravenswood and its surrounds.

Brendon Grylls has over 20 years’ experience in agribusiness and 16 years in public office, including as Leader of the National Party and senior Cabinet Minister in Western Australia. He delivered six State budgets and, as Minister for Regional Development, created and implemented the $7 billion Royalties for Regions program. Brendon now leads The Grylls Group, providing strategic consulting across resources, civil contracting, agriculture, First Nations partnerships, and carbon abatement through his role as Executive Director of Salubris. He was appointed Independent Non-Executive Chair of Richmond Vanadium Technology (RVT) in April 2022 and became Executive Chair in July 2025. In this role, he is focused on advancing the Richmond – Julia Creek Vanadium Project through reserve drilling, metallurgical test work, environmental approvals, and mining lease applications, while progressing downstream opportunities with Rongke Power to produce vanadium electrolyte. Brendon is also working with RKP International to accelerate the adoption of Vanadium Flow Batteries for long-duration energy storage in Australia.

Ryan MacNeill is the Senior Commercial Manager at EQ Resources, where he is focused on tungsten concentrate sales, offtake development, market strategy and positioning EQR as a leading Western tungsten producer. Ryan has a broad background across mining operations, commercial management, commodity trading and strategic corporate development, with experience across Australia, Southern Africa, Europe and global critical minerals markets. Prior to joining EQR, Ryan held senior operational and commercial roles with CRONIMET, including at the Mt Carbine tungsten operation in Far North Queensland.

Mark is a metallurgist with 25 years of global mineral processing experience. He has worked globally in operations and mining projects across various commodities. Prior to joining Graphinex, Mark was Senior Study Manager at Sedgman, managing the DFS and PFS for the Mt Lyell Copper Gold Processing Plant Restart for New Century Resources in Tasmania. Before this, Mark was Principal Metallurgist for MMG, working at the Las Bambas Copper Mine in Peru, the Sepon Copper Mine in Laos and the Rosebery polymetallic mine in Tasmania. He has also worked for BHP and South 32. Mark holds a Bachelor in Metallurgical Engineering and an MBA in International Finance.

Iain is a minerals and process engineer with over 25 years of hands-on experience solving complex metallurgical challenges. His career bridges the gap between daily operations and big-picture strategy, built largely around base metals flotation in North West Queensland. Most recently, Iain helped take MMG’s Dugald River operation from construction all the way to commercial success. Now, he has stepped into an exciting new chapter at Graphinex, leveraging two decades of flotation expertise to help develop a groundbreaking, Australia-first graphite project.

Paul Holden currently serves as the head of Critical Minerals Queensland (CMQ), where he leads the state’s efforts to become a global leader in the critical minerals sector. Tasked with executing Queensland’s Critical Minerals Strategy, Paul is driving initiatives to unlock the state’s vast mineral wealth. His leadership focuses on building strong partnerships across government, industry, and communities to fast-track project approvals and create sustainable jobs, especially in regional hubs like Townsville and Mount Isa.

With over 25 years of experience in senior executive roles, including at the Office of the Coordinator-General and the Department of State Development, Paul has a proven track record in delivering major infrastructure and resource projects. He is highly skilled in navigating regulatory frameworks, securing project financing, and facilitating complex stakeholder negotiations. Paul’s extensive expertise covers sectors such as minerals, water, agriculture, and tourism, making him a trusted figure in Queensland’s development landscape.

Originally from Mount Isa, and currently living in Townsville, Paul is deeply passionate about fostering economic growth in regional Queensland. Under his leadership, CMQ is not only driving investment in critical minerals but also promoting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, positioning Queensland as a sustainable powerhouse in the global energy transition.