Note from the Consultants Society Chair – December 2020
In this, the final Consultants Society (ConSoc) Newsletter for 2020, and my last as Chair, I want firstly to wish all ConSoc Members a relaxing and enjoyable festive season however you choose to do so, and a successful and prosperous 2021 to follow a year which has been one of unprecedented challenge for all of us.
ConSoc, and the AusIMM more broadly, has responded to the challenges and continues to thrive in spite of them. At AusIMM Congress on 8 December, yet another of the many virtual events we have seen this year, CEO Stephen Durkin remarked that the AusIMM Management Team (AMT) office in Carlton was closed for 254 days continuously. However, the AMT continued to run seamlessly through that period without it impacting services.
For ConSoc, we have seen initiation of the publication of the Mineral Consultants Handbook and the commencement of a series of webinars to present it, both within the lockdown period. Coordination of the webinars has been led most ably by Dean McMinn, who has managed to corral speakers while working from Cardiff for added difficulty; I guess that demonstrates that it really doesn’t matter where you are anymore. Unfortunately, Dean was not re-elected to the ConSoc Committee in the recent ballot, and on behalf of the ConSoc Committee I wish him well for the future and hope that he will consider standing again in future.
This year also sees the departure from the ConSoc Committee of Stephen Hancock after having reached the end of his allowable term. Steve has been an outstanding Committee Member and it has largely been as a result of his efforts that ConSoc joined with the Social and Environment Society and others to bring about the first AusIMM Social Licence to Operate Forum in May 2019. The initiative has continued during these past 18 months, and this has led to the formation of the Environment, Social and Governance/Social Responsibility (ESG/SR) Subcommittee, ably Chaired by Bruce Harvey from the S&E Society, and Steve continues to be instrumental in the workings of that group. Key achievements have been establishing Social Performance (a Chartered Professional discipline in its own right), the first such establishment world-wide, and work towards a second forum to be held in April 2021 prior to the Life-of-Mine Conference. Once again, this will be convened by Steve.
At recent elections for the ConSoc Committee Michael Clarke, Tom Bradbury and Carlos Sorentino were re-elected for a second two-year term. Mark Kenright and Lisa Park were elected for their first term. On behalf of the Committee, I congratulate Michael, Tom and Carlos on the re-election and Mark and Lisa on their election. I look forward to working with them all next year. As mentioned at the start, my term as Chair comes to an end this year and John Dunlop will take the reins from January 2021.
Season’s Greetings to all,
Peter Hills
ConSoc Chair 2019-20