John Walsh

I am a Chartered Professional Mine Geologist with 19 years of experience in the Australian mining industry.I am currently working at Norton Gold Fields, a wholly owned subsidiary of Zijin Mining (the largest gold mining company in the world), as Mine Geology Manager in Kalgoorlie, overseeing all aspects of mine geology for both the underground operations (Bullant, Tuart, Enterprise) and the open pits (Binduli, Federal, Havana, Mulgarrie) and a team of 30 geologists and technicians.Key Achievements:- Overseeing a yearly mine production of 200,000 oz au.- Managing a substantial drilling budget up to $17M per annum defined by: a GC budget of $12M, ($7M and $5M dedicated to open pits and underground, respectively), and an RD budget up to $5M for underground. - Designed, planned, and executed a $4M yearly resource definition underground drilling budget, such as the 17km diamond drilling programs at Bullant Underground in 2020 and 2021.- Officially approved by Zijin Mining Group as a Qualified Person for international mining project reporting -joining the Group’s global technical panel authorised to supervise, review, and sign JORC/NI43-101 compliant reports.- As an UG Mine Geologist, I GC modeled >200,000 ounces of complex Archean lode gold geology, overseeing them into production, such as at Plutonic, Homestead, and Bullant. Now I conduct the validation, peer review, and model approvals.- I played a pivotal role in extending the Life of Mine (LOM) at Homestead Underground by two years by delineating additional remnant mining opportunities.- Proficient in resource modeling software such as Surpac, Surpac TCL macro coding, and highly skilled in utilizing Excel VBA for advanced data analysis.- I firmly value Continuous Improvement (CI), having won a CI Award at Barrick Australia, and work daily on identifying operational challenges and implementing long-term CIs to enhance efficiency (Kaizen).- I take pride in mentoring the next generation of geologists and helping them develop their skills and expertise, and have been fortunate to take on a role in the promotion of a number of geologists.- I believe in leading by example and fostering a culture of safety, teamwork, high performance, and efficiency among my team, with trust and respect for each other.Feel free to connect with me to stay updated on the latest developments in our field, if you share my passion for gold mining geology, or if you're interested in collaborating. I actively engage with industry professionals and share insights on mining geology, resource management, and industry trends.