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Ian has been a member of the SAIMM Johannesburg Branch committee since 2009. He was elected Vice Chairperson in 2011, and has been Chairperson since 2012. He also represents the SAIMM as an observer on the Council of the Geological Society of South Africa.

Ian started in the mining industry as a learner official with Rand Mines in 1985, and graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand with a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering in 1989. He worked at Durban Roodepoort Deep, Douglas Colliery, and Harmony Gold Mine before leaving Rand Mines in 1993 to take up the position of mine manager of a small gold mine on the East Rand.



Ian became involved in the dimension stone mining industry in 1994, when he joined Kudu Granite as group mining engineer, with a mandate to transform the company’s traditional quarry operations into modern professionally-run mines through the application of geological knowledge, formal mine planning, new technology and methods, and professional management techniques. By 1996, the company’s operations were recognized in the industry as being on a par with the best-run operations in Europe, and the standards developed at Kudu were a major factor in the acquisition of Kudu by the Marlin Group in 1997. The health and safety and environmental performance of the Rustenburg Division of Marlin, where Ian was General Manager from 2001 to 2005, was recognized by both the DME and environmental pressure groups as being among the best in the South African mining industry. In 2005, Ian became Technical Director of the Marlin Group, with responsibility for the operation of all quarries in southern Africa and exploration in Africa, as well as consulting work for the group's operations in Brazil.

In 2008, Ian left the Marlin Group to establish an independent consultancy. While his initial focus was mainly, but not exclusively, in the dimension stone sector, he subsequently consulted in the gold, uranium, platinum, chrome, and industrial minerals sectors. Ian is a generalist,, and while his technical expertise is valued in feasibility and due diligence work, he also provides project and operational management assistance, and is widely experienced in the fields of health and safety, environmental management, and mineral rights.

Ian has travelled extensively in Africa, South America, Europe, and the USA during the course of his career. He is a keen runner, having completed five Comrades Marathons, trail runner and trail run course designer, and mountain biker.

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