Africa Down Under Conference 2025 Exhibitor List

Kristy has spent over 20 years’ building and maintaining strategic relationships and professional connections with senior business leaders, C-suite executives and Non-Executive Directors. She has experience in various sectors including mining and resources, oil & gas, state government, federal government and defence. Prior to PwC, Kristy was an entrepreneurial start-up founder and CEO of a specialist national recruitment business. Kristy reinvented her career when she joined PwC Australia and has dedicated the last eight years to leadership, business strategy, transformation and growth with a current focus on ESG, social value and the future of work. Kristy has spent the last three years as PwC’s Global Account Director for the firm’s largest global resources client and is a PwC Consulting Director in the EUR (Energy, Utilities & Resources) Perth practice. She is also the National Co-Chair of PwC’s Symmetry Committee (PwC’s employee network for gender diversity). This has recently been supplemented by a Senior Executive MBA (SEMBA) with Melbourne Business School which combines the best of her entrepreneurial spirit with global enterprise to create consulting solutions for clients across the EUR sector. On a personal note, she is Perth born and raised and lived some of her childhood in the Pilbara of Western Australia. She is the wife of a FIFO husband, mother to two active boys and NFP Board Director. She has been a Judge of the Telstra Business Women’s Awards in VIC in 2020 and in WA from 2015-2017. Previous individual awards as a business owner include the Telstra Business Women’s Awards Finalist 2007 and EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist 2008.

Stephen Wetherall is a qualified chartered accountant with more than 20 years’ experience in financial and operational management, corporate transactions, structuring and strategic planning. Stephen previously held senior roles with De Beers and Gem Diamonds, building significant experience across the diamond industry in Africa, Indonesia, Australia, UK, Europe and the Middle East. Most recently, Stephen has led the successful exploration, evaluation, funding and development of two unique diamond mines in Africa with high-quality productions.

Errol is a geologist, registered for JORC purposes. Errol has 28 years of industry experience across all aspects of exploration, mine development and operations with experience in precious and base metals. Errol has held positions in Anglogold, Cluff Mining, Metallon Gold, Clarity Minerals LionGold Corporation and African Stellar Holdings. Errol’s senior executive roles have been on several boards of companies listed on both the TSX and ASX and currently serves as a Director on the Board of the Minerals Council South Africa.

Mr Strizek has more than 20 years of experience in gold exploration, resource development and operations of open pit and underground projects ranging from the Kalgoorlie super pit to high grade projects such as Frogs Leg in the Eastern Goldfields, Western Australia. Prior to joining ASX-listed Vital metals limited as Chief Executive Officer, Mr Strizek was involved in project development of mineral, coal and petroleum resources in both Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Dave Manning, juwi’s Global Head of Hybrid, has 25 years’ international experience in power solutions for mines and remote energy consumers. He was also previously involved in the Australian DeGrussa Sandfire hybrid project as General Manager for the Thermal Power Station Owner, from initial contract negotiation through to project completion. Based in Perth, Dave is responsible for overseeing the installation and operation of hybrid installations worldwide, with Africa and Australia being the prime focus regions.

Karl Simich has more than 30 years’ experience as an international resource company executive, specialising in corporate finance and company management. He has held Board and senior executive positions with numerous ASX-listed mining companies and has played a key role in the financing, construction, development and operation of mining projects in Australia, New Zealand and Africa. Mr Simich joined the Sandfire Resources Board in 2007 and has overseen discovery and development of the Company’s DeGrussa and Monty Copper-Gold Mines in Western Australia, which are now well established as two of the Asia-Pacific region’s premier high-grade copper mines. More recently, he has overseen the establishment of a global project development pipeline which now also includes advanced copper development projects in Botswana and the USA.

Mr Hoskins commenced his career at a large international accounting firm and has since gained corporate experience with both Australian and international listed companies. He is a senior executive with 14 years of broad finance and commercial experience across resources exploration, project development and production as well as large-scale property developments requiring debt and equity financing. He was appointed as IMX’s Managing Director in October 2015 after being Chief Executive Officer since September 2014, before which he spent almost three years as IMX’s Chief Financial Officer.

Lisa Sharland is Head of the International Program at ASPI with research interests in the United Nations and multilateralism, peacekeeping reform, Australia’s engagement in UN peacekeeping, African security issues, Australia-Africa engagement, protection of civilians and women, peace and security. Since commencing at ASPI in March 2014, Lisa has conducted field research on preventing and countering violent extremism in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Kenya, and UN peacekeeping missions in Mali, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. She has authored numerous research publications and provided expert commentary to media and news outlets. Lisa has been a Visiting Fellow at the Stimson Centre in Washington DC and the National Institute for Defence Studies in Japan. She remains a non-resident fellow in the Protecting Civilians in Conflict Program at the Stimson Centre. She has also worked as a consultant for the International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations. Prior to joining ASPI, Lisa worked as the Defence Policy Adviser at the Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations in New York, where she provided advice on peacekeeping and defence-related policy issues and represented Australia in multilateral negotiations in the UN Security Council and General Assembly bodies, including the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34). Lisa is a member of the Advisory Group on Australia-Africa Relations (AGAAR), which is tasked by the Foreign Minister with informing Australia’s thinking and policies on Africa. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Western Australia’s Africa Research and Engagement Centre (AfREC).

Mr Grove has over 30 years technical, commercial and financial experience in global resources including 14 years with Macquarie Bank’s Mining Finance and Risk Management Groups. Andrew has gained significant operational experience across all phases of resources projects such as the Sunrise Gold Dam project in Western Australia and has substantial African gold mining experience including his most recent role as Group General Manager Business Development and Investor Relations at Perseus Mining Limited. Mr Grove has a Bachelor of Engineering (Mineral Exploration and Mining Geology) and a Masters Degree in Mineral and Energy Economics.

Martin Holland is a mining executive with over a decade of corporate experience. Mr Holland is a co-founder of Cobre, and is the founder and former CEO of ASX listed Lithium Power International Limited (ASX: LPI). Mr Holland listed LPI in 2016 and raised in excess of $70 million in new equity; and acquired, explored and developed one of the world’s highest grade and largest lithium mines in Chile. Mr. Holland is Chairman of Sydney based private investment company, Holland International.

Allan graduated from the University of Technology in Sydney in 1986 with a Bachelor of Business and subsequently attained a post graduate Diploma in Applied Finance from the Financial Services Institute of Australia. Allan’s distinguished career spans 30 years in both the energy and resources sectors, in investment banking and leadership roles in both private and publicly listed companies. Allan currently serves as Non-Executive Director of ASX listed Hydrocarbon Dynamics Limited (HCD:ASX) and has previously served as Executive Director and Deputy CEO of HK Listed energy group EPI Holdings Limited (0689.HKEX). Allan’s investment banking background includes structuring commercial transactions in the energy and resources sector. Senior roles include positions within Westpac, ANZ Bank, HSBC and BNP Paribas in Australia, London, New York and Asia Pacific. Allan’s career achievements have been recognised several times in BRW’s annual poll of bankers.

Allan Mulligan is a mining engineer with 30 years of mine management and production experience. Allan has specialised in technical assessment and production economics, feasibilities, project design and costing of underground mines and prospects. He has worked extensively in exploration, mine development and operations across Africa and Australia and understands the value of Australian expertise and African opportunity. Allan was a founding director of Walkabout Resources Pty Ltd. He has previously been on the board of several West Australian explorers.

Peter Ledwidge, Managing Director and founder of Mako Gold is a geologist with over 30 years’ experience in exploration and mining. His career has focussed primarily on gold in Canada, Africa and Australia.Prior to founding Mako Gold, Peter was a senior manager with ASX-listed Orbis Gold whereby he secured all of Orbis’ permits in Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire. Peter played a critical role in the discovery of the Nabanga gold deposit and thereafter contributed geological ideas towards the discovery of the Boungou mine. Peter is fluently bilingual in French, the working language of the majority of West Africa.

Richard is a geologist with 25 years’ experience in the mining industry and 20 years experience operating in West Africa. He has managed large exploration and development projects for gold and base metals in Australia, Africa and Eastern Europe. He founded West African in 2006 and has led the Company from IPO in 2010 through to production in 2020. He was instrumental in coordinating the A$365 million debt and equity financing to fully-fund the Sanbrado Gold Operation to production in March 2020. Richard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology and Geophysics from the University of New England and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists.