Brian Rairdan 

Head of Global Metallurgy and Processing, RCoE, BHP

Bryan has worked in metallurgy and processing for the last 30 years across a variety of roles spanning operations management, project development, innovation, and corporate technical leadership.  He graduated from the University of Alberta in Canada with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering and has since worked in lead/zinc, gold and copper mineral processing and hydrometallurgy.  He has been fortunate enough to work at and with many of the global top-tier mill operating assets over the last three decades, including Red Dog, Escondida, Cerro Verde, Morenci, Highland Valley Copper, Polaris, Olympic Dam, Grasberg, Antamina, and Quebrada Blanca in a variety of technical roles spanning design , commissioning, and operational management.  Previous recent roles include Technical Director Processing at Teck Resources, Director Metallurgical Solutions Americas at Freeport McMoRan, and he is currently Head of Global Metallurgy and Processing at BHP.   Bryan is passionate about leveraging fundamental science and engineering acumen, coupled with a healthy dose of creativity and curiosity, to advance our industry towards more efficient ways of producing the products our global society needs. 

Keynote presentation and synopsis:

Practical Innovation in Mineral Processing and the Role of Curiosity

When we talk about innovation in mineral processing, we often focus on technology; new equipment, different process chemistry, digital tools, AI, automation, or novel flowsheets. However, innovation starts much earlier, most often with a healthy dose of curiosity, with some of the most meaningful improvements coming from people who are willing to ask questions. Why do we operate this circuit this way? Is this constraint real, or have we simply accepted it over time? What would happen if we approached this problem differently? These questions may seem simple, but they are often the starting point for valuable change, whether they're major step changes or small improvements with value that compound over years of operation.  Practical examples of creating value in plant operations will be explored to illustrate the point.  In busy plants, it is easy to become focused on production targets, short-interval troubleshooting, and routine activities but some of the greatest opportunities for improvement are hidden in the things we see every day but no longer question.