Update from the President and CEO – March 2021

AusIMM is pleased to welcome Dave Clark FAusIMM(CP) to the role of President and Chair of the Board. Dave is a 30-year AusIMM member, a dedicated industry professional and a values-based leader committed to respect and unity.

As President, Dave is focused on the AusIMM Board and Management Team engaging with our members and Communities of Interest to drive the strategic direction developed over the past three years.

This is the first of a series of regular updates from Dave and AusIMM CEO Stephen Durkin, who throughout 2021 will be sharing with members the latest AusIMM priorities and achievements.

AusIMM has hit the ground running in 2021. Despite the global disruptions of 2020, we are seeing strong member support and are in a healthy financial position. We are committed to building on our long history of providing technical information and sharing knowledge, and guided by our strategic framework we continue to deliver a range of relevant content to a broader marketplace of people working in resources.

AusIMM’s Digital Transformation has been a major investment to modernise and integrate our systems. This investment provides a solid foundation for the future and allows us to take the next step in delivering content to our members all over the world.

Following the launch of our new website in January, we continue to work on improvements and enhancements, including our publications and video library, which is a major priority.

In March we were delighted to see fantastic support for our first major events of the year, with strong attendances giving us confidence that our events are hitting the mark with our professional community:

• Our hybrid Underground Operators Conference was hosted in Perth and online, with an AusIMM conference record of 1200 delegates sharing knowledge and showcasing the latest thinking in underground mining.
• Our International Women’s Day Event Series brought together more than 1600 people across Australia to celebrate the achievements of women in our sector and listen to inspiring keynotes.

We remain hopeful that external conditions are stabilising, and we expect to see strong turnouts at our remaining eight technical conferences this year.

We continue to build out our successful online courses and masterclasses as part of our focus on professional development. We have developed five courses and masterclasses, including new content covering the VALMIN Code, Diversity and Inclusion in Mining and Materials Handling, as well as our existing Professional Certificates in JORC Code Reporting and Tailings Management.

Over the rest of the year we will continue to develop new online courses across a range of topics. For example, we will soon be opening enrolments for an Online Short Course on Cost Estimation and a Professional Certificate on Social Responsibility.

The upcoming weeks will also see us continue to deliver a number of important initiatives. Highlights include:

• Launching our national Mentoring Program in April, connecting 100+ experienced professionals with those looking for career guidance.
• The imminent launch of our Reconciliation Action Plan, outlining our commitment to welcoming and creating opportunity for First Nations members of our global mining community.
• Establishing a Working Group to assess and forecast supply and demand of key skills in the resources sector and inform AusIMM’s advocacy in this space.
• Engaging with our Communities of Interest through our Trusted Voice Ambassador Program, which provides a dialogue between our expert members and the AusIMM Policy and Advocacy team.

2021 is still bringing challenges for many around the world, including the ongoing pandemic and the recent flooding seen on the Australian East Coast. Our thoughts are with everybody who is currently navigating difficult circumstances and we hope that you, your family and community are keeping safe and well.

We thank each of our members for your ongoing support of our organisation, our professional community and our industry. If you have any questions about the above, or would like to suggest something for us to cover in an upcoming column, please get in touch.

Dave Clark FAusIMM(CP)
AusIMM President
president@ausimm.com

Stephen Durkin FAusIMM
AusIMM CEO
ceo@ausimm.com