METS employs and engages the services of many skilled and experienced mining professionals. Our people are highly qualified, trained and have had varied experience with numerous mineral operations both domestic and internationally. METS staff possess recognised qualifications in the areas of Engineering, Metallurgy and Chemistry. Our people are members of leading industry professional bodies and are engaged in ongoing professional development.

Damian Connelly

 Director/Principal Consulting Engineer 

Damian Connelly has over 30 years metallurgical experience and has spent the last 21 years working as a metallurgical consultant in Australia and overseas. He has been involved in many gold projects including engineering, audit, due diligence, tenders and expert witness work.

Damian is a Chartered Professional Engineer (MET) and a member of the Mineral Industry Consultants Association, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, American Institute of Mining, Metal and Petroleum Engineers, Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Australian Institute of Management, and is registered as an expert witness. He has worked for most of the blue chip mining companies throughout his career.

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Process Division

Marcus Locke

 Process Manager

Marcus is a metallurgist with 13 years experience in the mining industry, specialising in project feasibility and development. He has been involved in various operational and developmental roles including identifying process issues, root cause analysis, feasibility studies, test work program design, detailed process engineering design, construction supervision, commissioning, production, personnel training and project management. Marcus is a specialist in the extraction of mineral sands, iron ore (magnetite & hematite), gold and base metals with well developed analytical and technical skills. He has a sound understanding of mine to market and project development. Marcus’s operational background, tied with his engineering design expertise, provides the skills and experience required to bring a conceptual project successfully into production.

Marcus has a Bachelor of Engineering in Metallurgical Engineering from University of South Australia.

Jeff West

 Consulting Metallurgist

Jeff has more than 40 years of involvement in the metallurgical industry, having worked in most Australian States and overseas. He has extensive experience in both operational and engineering functions ranging from unit operations in smelting to mineral processing and hydrometallurgical operations. He is keenly interested in the latter, particularly heap and dump leaching, solvent extraction and electrowinning.

He has an Associate Diploma of Primary Metallurgy from the now remodelled South Australian Institute of Technology and is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Dr Denis Yan

 Consulting Metallurgist

Denis has over 40 years experience in mining and during this time has had vast experience in most mineral processing environments. Most of Denis’s background is in senior university roles where he led substantial cutting edge research programmes and taught at the WA School of Mines as Program Chair (Metallurgy). Denis is the author of 32 papers and the popular resource text in mineral processing, “Mineral Processing Design and Operations”, Elsevier Amsterdam 2006.

Dean Mitchell

 Senior Metallurgist

Dean has 15 years experience in operational, project and laboratory roles, for gold, copper and nickel projects. Career highlights include prefeasibility studies for the Telfer plant expansion for Newcrest Mining, with a provisional patent for copper autoclave process. Debottlenecking and application of metallurgical testwork projects for GRD Macraes in New Zealand. Cyanide recovery ( SART) and destruction projects (Inco and peroxide) for both Newcrest and Macraes. Laboratory experience from small testwork programs to large pilot plants with AMMTEC. Dean has a strong focus in applying fundamental understanding in a practical way.

Dean has a Bachelor of Engineering (Minerals Engineering) from Curtin University Western Australian School of Mines.   

Sean O'Donnell

 Senior Process Engineer

Mr Sean O’Donnell joins us as our new Senior Process Engineer. He has 8 years industry experience in both the technical and operational aspects of iron and diamond ore processing. This includes plant optimisation and providing processing advice to operations and management.

Sean has a BEng in Metallurgy from RMIT University, and is also a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM).

Engineering Division 

Chris Ure

Engineering Manager

As Lead Mechanical Engineer with over fourteen years of experience, Edin has been involved in mainly wet processing but also in dry material handling areas within the minerals processing industry, particularly in iron ore, gold, nickel and chromite operations.  With considerable site experience during construction, commissioning and operation while being based in a design environment, Edin has developed a practical approach to plant design.

 Edin has a Post Graduate Diploma In Business Management from Curtin University of Technology, Graduate Certificate in business Management, Graduate Certificate in Human Resources, an Associate Diploma Of Engineering (Mechanical) from CMC, TAFE WA and an Advanced Certificate Of The Completion of Education for Mechanical Technician from Mechanical Engineering and Transportation School Centre, Bosnia Hercegovina.

 Senior Mechanical Engineer

Joseph Kwintowski has 30 years mechanical engineering and 3D modelling experience in the design of material handling and mining equipment with hydraulic power systems. Most recently Joseph has worked with a number of major Australian EPCM companies designing magnetite concentration plants. Joseph has a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Krakow University of Technology, in Poland.

Tad Rybak

 Senior Electrical Engineer

Tad has over 30 years experience in the design and installation of various electrical, automation and process control systems.  He has extensive experience in light and heavy industries, the minerals processing industry and commercial requirements. He has a Diploma of Electrical Technical Engineering College, Electronic Master Certificate, and a Certificate of Technical Competency system "IBM 360".

Michelle Teevan

 Marketing Manager

Michelle has gained extensive experience working with the largest organisational Group in Ireland. Along with time spent in specific divisions, Michelle spent 2 years as Head of Group Marketing & Events. The companies within the Group included Insurance, building products, glass and hotels, which include the Hilton Prague & Sheraton Krakow hotels, for which she managed marketing strategies and campaigns. She also has extensive event management experience and has worked on major events including The British Masters golf tournament, an annual 4 day event televised internationally.

Michelle has a Bachelor of Science in Management & Marketing, DIT, Dublin and Masters of Science in Marketing from Glamorgan University, Wales. She is an Associate Member of the Insurance Institute of Ireland and Graduate Member of the Marketing Institute of Ireland.