With an extensive career spanning diverse commodity sectors including gold, minerals, copper, nickel, iron ore and coal, David brings a unique blend of practical, academic, and executive leadership to every project.

He has worked across Australia and Africa with industry leaders such as Western Mining Corporation and Rio Tinto, and has held executive leadership roles including General Manager, Mining & Metallurgy for Sundance Resources, as well as Managing Director and Board positions with various West Australian exploration/development companies.

He is driven daily by a simple goal: to work with decision-makers to define and synthesise complex issues and risk management strategies, and to help create and enable effective solutions and outcomes.

Equal parts strategist, advisor, executive and engineer, David has a proven aptitude for managing multi-disciplinary relationships, providing trusted advice, understanding and communicating complex ideas concisely and clearly, identifying business and operational constraints and assessing risk factors.

It’s this balanced approach which sees him often called upon for industry mentoring and project guidance, with a particular emphasis on the critical study, design, construction and operational readiness phases which largely determine project success.

With a solutions-oriented and collaborative leadership style, David addresses challenges with curiosity and thrives on turning his clients’ projects around for increased profitability and productivity.

As the Perth Manager, David oversees Xenith’s expanding presence in Western Australia and is keen to connect clients and industry leaders with the top quality technical and advisory expertise that the company is renowned for.

David is a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPENG) –a member of IEAust, an AusIMM Fellow and AICD graduate with a First Class Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competency in two states.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE …

David is a father of three adult children, a keen cyclist, a committed Welsh rugby fan, and open water ocean swimmer. He also likes spending time with his wife on their cattle farm south of Perth.

SKILLS AND EXPERTISE

• Experience across diverse commodity sectors including gold, nickel, iron ore, copper and coal.
• Corporate and executive management, including directorships of ASX listed resource companies.
• Project development and construction of mining operations.
• Operations establishment and management.
• Mine contracting and earthmoving in numerous commodities and styles of operation.
• Study management.
• Project management and engineering, with an emphasis on the management of multi-disciplinary in-house and consultant/contractor teams.
• Technical and maintenance engineering.
• Operational and statutory management roles for large and small resource companies in both surface and underground operations.
• Government approvals, community negotiations and relationship management.
• Negotiation with Australian and international partners, investors and customers.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• Executive and non-executive directorships on a number of listed resource company Boards.
• The restructuring, refinancing and rebuilding of Strickland Metals and Syndicated Metals.
• Planning, negotiating and delivering on the asset divestment strategy for Syndicated Metals’ Queensland’s assets.
• As the General Manager of Operations, the construction and development of the Equigold-owned Mt Rawdon Gold Mine, bringing it to full operational level, including team building and subsequent expansion phases.
• As an Area Manager for Macmahon Contractors, turning a number of key marginal / loss making operations into profitable enterprises.
• As a member of the mine management team at the Rio Tinto-owned Paraburdoo and Channar Mines, oversaw and managed the re-structuring of operational crews and operating and management practices, resulting in significant and sustainable productivity improvements.