The GEOVIA Champions Program – Enjoy a recap of 2019 and join us in welcoming our New Champions.
We have finished Q3 of our first year with the GEOVIA Champions and have been busy with so many activities worldwide. Our champions have been involved in:
Events and Speaking:
Around the globe our GEOVIA Champions have spoken at conferences as panellists or been interviewed for videos and media production on multiple different topics as GEOVIA Champion Representatives.
If you haven’t seen it already, check out our video:
‘What technology will have the biggest impact for the mine of the future and why?
Beta Testing Programs:
We have recently finished a beta testing program for the next releases of our software. The champions are allowed exclusive access to new functions and features and do the hard work of testing them before the release.
While our Champions remain tight lipped on the details of the software, they have been vocal in working with our R+D teams and providing valuable feedback.
Thought Leadership Exercises:
The GEOVIA Champions connect through virtual meetings where the Champions have voted in the discussion topics in advance, and sent through advance questions and responses to their peers on an exclusive forum.
Our recent meeting was co-hosted by a GEOVIA Champion and a COE representative. Thanks to technology they did not have to be in the same room (or country) to co-host the meeting broadcast to a global audience!
WELCOME TO OUR NEW Q3 CHAMPIONS:
Angelica Pedraza
Civil Engineer and Surveyor, Cementos Argos
Angelica Maria León Pedraza has training as a surveyor of Mines and Civil Engineer, with 19 years of experience in the Mining and Construction industry, covering services ranging from the collection of information in the field, to the processing, design and execution of mining planning. Angelica has participated in the development of various geological exploration processes, characterization of different minerals, reservoir modeling, pit designs, production in the exploitation front, photogrammetric and conventional topographic surveys, civil and road works execution throughout the country (Colombia).
Angelica currently works as a raw materials and mining planning professional in a cement factory located in Sogamoso Boyacá, where she is responsible for optimizing the short-term planning of the different limestone mines operating in this area, guaranteeing the quantity and quality required for the process. Angelica has more than 6 years of experience in handling GEOVIA software: Surpac, Minex and MineSched.
LinkedIn: Angelica Pedraza
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Alberto Ramos
Senior Project Engineer, Hecla Mining Company
Alberto is a Senior Project Engineer at Hecla mining where he is part of the technical services team based in Coeur d’Alene Idaho. He is responsible for providing technical advice and assistance to the corporate office and operating units. He has been using GEOVIA software, including Surpac and MineSched, for 7 years. His expertise ranges from mine planning (short and long range) and mine design for both underground and open pit.
In the past 4 years, he has been part of project start-up where he has supported on a range of activities such as mine design, LOM plans and budgeting, including the implementation of mine planning procedures for both underground and open pit operations at a narrow vein ore deposit. He is enthusiastic about mining and centered to help colleagues deliver successful results.
LinkedIn: Alberto Ramos
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Chris Marissen
Principal Mining Engineer, Myanmar Metals
Chris is a Principal Mining Engineer with over 30 years’ experience in the Mining Industry. Chris has worked in Technical and Management roles utilising Surpac and Whittle (since the late 1980’s) and MineSched (not long after its inception) in many of these roles. Chris currently uses the full suite Surpac, MineSched and Whittle on open pit projects but is also looking at underground potential.
Chris is eager to get more people to utilise the support system to drive GEOVIA into continuing to produce quality products at an affordable cost. He is also passionate about sharing knowledge gained from his years in the mining industry as well as to help increase knowledge and efficiencies for mining professionals within their operations.
LinkedIn: Chris Marissen
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Eli Davies Ocloo
Unit Manager – Mine Planning, Asanko Gold
Eli has over 11 years of experience covering mine survey and mine planning in both greenfield and brownfield mining operations. He is currently the Unit Manager for Mine Planning in Asanko Gold Inc for the Esaase Gold Project. He has used Surpac extensively in various mine survey and mine planning task over the years to achieve various desired outcomes and recently started using MineSched for short to medium term mine planning activities. He is open to learn and share knowledge gained over the years with the mining community to help build the knowledge base of professionals across the mining space.
Linkedin: Eli Davies
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Isaac Osei
Unit Manager – Mine Planning, Asanko Gold
Isaac has over 13 years’ experience in the Bauxite and Gold industries and 11 years’ experience using GEOVIA software. Isaac has used Whittle, Surpac and MineSched over the past eleven years with exposure to pit optimization and scheduling (from the strategic planning perspective), Short to Long term production scheduling with MineSched and Pit designing, Blast designing, solid modelling, block modelling with Surpac. Isaac has helped with testing and feedback of GEOVIA software for many years and now joins as part of the official GEOVIA Champions Program with access to Beta testing programs.
Linkedin: Isaac Osei
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Jim Moore
Mine Planning Manager, Mine Planning Services
Jim has been working in the mining industry for over 25 years in both production and planning roles. The mining industry has taken him all over the world with roles in Australia, Pacific, Asia, Africa and Europe. This included living in Philippines for 10 years. The first roles with GEOVIA products were working in Ghana in 1999 and in 2006 the decision was made to purchase Surpac. Since then Jim has been a committed user of Surpac, MineSched and Whittle with specialty skills in open pit mine planning using these tools.
Jim is keen to work with as many other users as possible to enhance their skills and his own. He is particularly interested in working with the software development teams on increased functionality.
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John Nolan
Manager Surface, Mining Plus
John is a mining professional with over 30 years experience in all aspects of the industry, including operational management, technical planning, production, geological modelling, mineral exploration and optimization. He has spent many years in West Africa, Thailand and Laos working with and training National staff in GEOVIA products. John is a Surpac Veteran, first using the software in 1987 working for Peko Gold at Peak Hill mine in Western Australia. He recalls the days of 98 strings, 24 options, two letter alias commands and OBS files! Cross sections were printed on HP draft-masters with 8 pens, then interpreted and polygons digitized in on the GTCO tablet. The pit was optimized in Whittle with the DOS interface and designed on our 486!
John Nolan has an extensive list of specialties including: Technical systems development, Open Pit & UG designs, Mine software training, TCL scripting and open pit grade control customization.
LinkedIn: John Nolan
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Nadir Elnour
Resource Modeler, Maaden
Nadir is a Senior Resource Geologist with more than 10 years’ experience in using GEOVIA Surpac, Whittle & MineSched in geological Database management, modeling, geostatistics, resource reserve estimation and production scheduling. He is a Qualified Person for signing off for gold projects. Nadir currently works in the Mineral Resource Management Department (MRM), Sr. Operation Director office in Ma’aden (Saudi Arabian Mining company).
As MRM Resource Modeler, he is directly responsible for all Ma’aden gold & base Metal Mine Sites & new projects in development, maintenance and updating of the mine’s resource block models and 3D resource databases. His responsibility also includes updating and providing industry standard documentation of annual Mineral Resources & reconciliation and assisting in the determination and optimization extraction of Mineral Reserves. Nadir also provides services to operations, addressing both underground and open pit requirements and provides leadership within the Geology Department, particularly as it relates to the estimation of mineral resources, reserves and optimizing extraction of mineral resources.
LinkedIn: Nadir Elnour
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Reuben Mwanza
Mining Engineer- Longterm, Mopani Copper Mines
Reuben Mwanza is a Superintendent – Planning – Mining Operations at Mopani Copper Mines and formerly was a Mining Engineer in Zambia with Fox Projects, a mining, processing engineering and project management company. In early 2017, he held a brief role as Business Development Manager at Canchanya Ingeniero in Zambia, and prior to that he was Mine Planning Engineer at Mopani Copper Mines, a joint venture company between Glencore of Switzerland, First Quantum Minerals and the Government of Zambia.
Mr. Mwanza has been responsible for planning and coordinating mining operations. He has experience in underground excavations, design of drill and blasting patterns, geotechnical investigation of mining areas underground, and development of cost-effective mining alternatives. Prior to this, Mr. Mwanza was an engineer at Grinaker Construction, a firm providing engineering and construction services.
LinkedIn: Reuben Mwanza
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Joining the Champions Program
Are you keen on sharing your knowledge with the GEOVIA community? Do you enjoy having engaging conversations about a topic you are passionate about in mining? Then the Champions Program is for you! Become a part of a community that promotes the sharing of knowledge through access with a GEOVIA expert and stimulating discussions with other passionate users all while getting recognized by your peers!
There are so many opportunities that we have created for you to participate in at your discretion. Sign-up is easy and it takes less than 5 minutes, so apply now to become a Champion today.
Simply click on the badge below to begin your Champions journey!
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