Ian Townsend:

I have been an IMM and MinSouth Councillor at various times since 1985, interspersed with overseas assignments. I am also a Council Member and Treasurer of The Filtration Society.

After graduating as a Minerals Engineer from the University of Birmingham in 1972, I worked for 10 years as a metallurgist and plant manager on copper mines in Zambia, and gold/uranium mines in South Africa. I then returned to the UK to work with Seltrust Engineering/BP Minerals in London, although I spent a lot of time in Australia working on the Leinster Nickel and Olympic Dam projects.

Since 1991, I have worked in the UK for Larox Oyj, a Finnish company manufacturing filtration systems used in metallurgical plants. I recently spent two years in Johannesburg as MD of our South African subsidiary, and my current, global role is Business Manager - Concentrate Filtration.

Outside work, I enjoy SCUBA diving, hiking and clay pigeon shooting. I am active in my village community, and I retain an affinity with southern Africa through regular visits.

Valerie Batterham: MinSouth Councillor April 2009 to present. I am a Canadian/UK trained geologist with experience in Canada and Scandinavia advancing mainly nickel sulphide, but also other deposit types and commodities at both exploration and operational phases. I have recently completed an MSc in Mining Geology from the Camborne School of Mines and am currently working on geostatistical and geological problems through employment with Golder Associates in London.

Geoff Hammond: I joined the IMM as an RSM Mining Geology student 53 years ago and, after graduation, spent 21 years in metal mining and exploration for metals and diamonds, much of that time oriented towards copper in Zambia, Iran and Argentina. Following that came ten years with Seltrust Engineering/BP Minerals getting to grips with exploration and mining of potash, and advising on base and precious metal projects. Since 1989 I have worked as an independent consultant undertaking feasibility studies and producing competent person's reports in Europe, Balkans, Turkey, Middle East, Russia, Kazakhstan, Africa and South America. I am now semi-retired and able to devote time as a Councillor to MinSouth, also to exploring parts of UK I never had time to visit earlier, and shooting squirrels.

Liv Carroll: MinSouth Councillor since 2004; President 2008-2009; Honorary Secretary 2009-2010. Having completed a BSc in Geology at Durham University, graduating 2000, followed by a Masters at RSM in 2001, I joined the Earth Sciences team of Capita Symonds where the main focus was the UK minerals industry covering a wide range of elements including mineral planning (technical input to applications and strategic planning for the supply of minerals), minerals industry economics and geological services to the private sector. After a 12 months stint as an exploration geologist in Turkey, where I was largely working on high sulphidation epithermal gold and gold/copper porphyry systems, I joined the Overseas Mining team of Wardell Armstrong as an economic and exploration geologist focused on exploration and mining projects in places such as Greenland, Southern Africa, Cyprus, Kazakhstan and China. I then joined Gemcom Software International to assist with the development of their 'Services Initiative', which was focussed around providing clients with product-centric solutions consulting and value adding services. I joined Parsons Brinckerhoff as Principal Geologist on the Global Mining Services team in Nov 2011 and am contributing to projects across the mining value chain with a focus on building the team's capabilities in gold, copper, iron ore and coal.

I sit on the Applied Earth Science technical board (IOM3) where my main focus is membership and accreditation, encouraging involvement and raising awareness of the activities of the industry and the Institute as well as assisting in the organisation of Finex 2012, a biennial conference designed to bring together the financiers and explorers/developers. I also organise the monthly Mining Sundowner held on the last Thursday of the month on the first floor of The Glassblower, off Regent Street. For more information, please don't hesitate to contact me on liv.carroll@pbworld.com.

I also sit on the Applied Earth Science technical board (IOM3) where my main focus is membership and accreditation, encouraging involvement and raising awareness of the activities of the industry and the Institute.

Tony Brewis: MinSouth Councillor 2000 to present. I am a retired mining/mineral processing engineer who tunnelled in Gibraltar; mined copper underground in India and planned the open-pit iron ore mine and concentrator in Sierra Leone. I have spent many years in mine feasibility studies and as editor of Mining Magazine. I have been involved with IMM/IOM3 in various roles since 1986, and am currently a trustee of the IOM3's Members' Benevolent Trust and a trustee of Ecton Mine Educational Trust, whose aim is to encourage young people to take up careers in the minerals industry.

Alan Stainer : I am Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and have been MinSouth Councillor since 2000. I am Emeritus Professor of Productivity and Performance Management at Middlesex University Business School, London, as well as Visiting Professor of Management at Brunel Business School, also in London. I have had many years experience in both UK and US industry, including British Coal and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA. I am a chartered engineer, chartered scientist and chartered environmentalist, as well as Member of the Conseil National des Ingénieurs et des Scientifiques de France. I am both Fellow of the Energy Institute and the elite World Academy of Productivity Science. Moreover, I am Founder-Director of the International Society for Productivity and Quality Research and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Business Performance Management.

Gavin Bowyer: MinSouth Councillor 2006 to present. After qualifying as a geologist in 1969, I have spent most of the last 40 years working on projects in Africa, Australia and South East Asia, plus assignments in Europe and the Americas. I started as an exploration geologist but much of my career has been as a London based consultant involved with feasibility studies and technical due diligence. I have recently retired. My other interests include birdwatching and searching for old prints and books on mining and geology.

Alan Baxter: After graduating 50 years ago from CSM with a degree in Mining Engineering, I have had the opportunity to work in several different positions in over five continents. These roles include consultancy and contract positions in addition to Senior Engineer, Seltrust Engineering/BP Minerals; General Manager, Iscaycruz Mine in Peru; Chief Inspector of Mines, Kosovo and South American Manager for a Canadian mining company. I am now semi retired and provide limited consultancy to the industry between rounds of golf, gardening and volunteering for the Thames Valley Police.

Michael Forrest: MinSouth Councillor 2004 - present. I spent the first part of my career as a Senior Geologist with the BGS, specialising in exploration geochemistry and remote sensing. I then joined Mining Journal Research Services, researching mineral commodities and mining equipment markets. I presently provide consultancy research services for mergers and acquisitions, feasibility studies and business development in the mining sector through the company, Mining Research. My current role in MinSouth is to organise masterclasses and our annual commodity day conference. I am also chair of the mining divisions of our parent, IOM3.

John Monhemius: I have been involved with MinSouth since its inception, as well as its predecessor societies. I am a semi-retired academic, having taught at the Royal School of Mines for over 40 years in the field of extractive metallurgy, particularly hydrometallurgy. I have consulted extensively in the mining industry, particularly in gold extraction. I am a director of a gold mining company in Azerbaijan and an exploration company with interests in gold and other metals in Tanzania.

Martin Staples: Recently elected MinSouth Councillor (Oct2009). I graduated from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in Mining Engineering in 1980. From there I went to the Zambian Copper Belt where I worked underground at Nchanga. I spent the first fours years there in operations starting out a graduate trainee going through section bossing, shift bossing and ending up as shaft mine captain. I then moved to more technical roles including mine design and cave control. ZCCM then decided to upgrade their computerised mine planning systems and I joined the team designing and writing Datamine modules specifically to manage the cave. In 1988 I left Zambia and went to the Bougainville copper mine in Papua New Guinea, There I was responsible for long term planning, I had just finished my first 25 year plan when the mine was closed for political reasons in 1989. I went to Perth in Australia and joined my current employer who after a few name changes are now AMC Consultants. Late in 2007 I returned to the UK to help develop the AMC (UK) office in Maidenhead.

Geoff Hooper: As a member of SME of AIME I have spent the last 40 years developing and implementing ICT in the minerals industry. While employed by Charter Consolidated, Amoco, Seltrust Engineering/BP Minerals, Techpro and SNC-Lavalin I worked on the resource estimation and mine planning for projects in Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Iran and North America. I now provide consultancy on geological, metallurgical and mining ICT.

Nick Eastwood: I have been involved in the Mining Industry for over 30 years in both operational and technical roles. After graduating as a mining engineer from the Camborne School of Mines in 1974, I spent several years in Africa in the copper and gold mining industries. Returning to the UK I joined ARC Ltd (a subsidiary of Consolidated Goldfields Limited) on quarry operations and then moved to a technical role with Blue Circle Industries Ltd. As principal mining engineer for the group, I was involved in all aspects of raw material extraction processes worldwide. I was recently involved with Gemstones of Africa Group Ltd as a Non-Executive Director and currently act as a specialist mining industry recruitment consultant, providing skilled professionals to international clients worldwide.

Alan Bozeat:

Since 1992, I have been a Councillor with the Institution when it used to be IME, before it became IMM and now IMMM. In the 90's I was the President of the Southern Counties branch of the IME for a period of time. Also, since 1992 I have served on the British Tunnelling Society Committee as a MinSouth representative.

Having graduated as a Mining Engineer from the CSM in 1975, the next 13 years were spent doing mine shaft sinking and development work in the UK, Middle East and North Africa. Hunter Personnel and HPC Products were established, owned and run by myself in 1988 and continue to serve the Mining and Tunnelling Industries, with recruitment and equipment supplies. The experience I have gained has been in mine development, deep shaft construction, gold production and iron ore exploration, copper in Zambia, DRC, and various tunnel operations around the world.

Andrew Hindmarch:

I was elected as onto MinSouth as a co-opted member from the British Tunnelling Society of which I have been a member of their committee since 2008. I am also chair of the Technical Subcommittee on the BTS as well as producing the newsletter.

Since graduating from CSM in 1987, I worked with tunnelling contractors for a few years before joining Mott MacDonald as part of their Channel Tunnel Design Team. Since then I have also worked in the UK and overseas on various projects including Storebaelt in Denmark, Heathrow Express, New Southern Railway in Sydney, Australia, the Dover and Folkestone Wastewater Scheme, Channel Tunnel Rail Link, Durban Harbour Tunnel in South Africa and Silicon Valley Rapid Transit in California. Most recently I have been involved with the design of several underground station upgrades in London and the Lee Tunnel scheme (part of Thames Tideway).

Outside work I am a keen amateur astronomer and have helped set up a new local society where I live. I am also involved with science events at local schools.

After graduating in Metallurgy & Materials Science from the University of Wales in 1982, I worked for 5 years as a research scientist in a corrosion section. I then turned to the industrial insurance market & have in the last 23 years worked for Factory Mutual, Commercial Union, Wellington 2020 Syndicate at Lloyds, as a consultant [Bacon Risk Engineering] and now work as Engineer Construction & Mining at ACE Technical Risks in London.

My work takes me all over the world looking at a wide variety of construction and mining projects providing practical advise to clients to reduce their property and business interruption risk profile to support the underwriting of these risks in the London market.

I am a Chartered Engineer, Member of the Institute of Fire Engineers and of course Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and joined the MinSouth Council in 2011.

I graduated from Cardiff as a Mining Engineer in 1977. After a period of postgraduate research I joined Dowty, the mining equipment manufacturers, where I worked throughout the world's underground coal industry for some 13 years. In this period of my life I was fortunate to work in Australia, Canada, South Africa, Eastern Europe and India.

In 1993 I joined the Australian mining software developer, Surpac where I was European Manager and then Group Finance Director. In the time with Surpac I established offices in South Africa, Chile and India. I was awarded my MBA through the Open University in 1999.

After a period of merger and acquisition I became VP Sales for Gemcom in 2006 before eventually leaving to run my own freelance activities in 2008. I also returned to study (yet again!) and was awarded a degree in Law in 2010.

My current project is working with the US mining software company MineSight.

Outside my professional activities I also am an advisor with the Citizens Advice Bureau.