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

Paul Freeman

Metallurgical Manager

Paul has over 30 years experience in chemical and process engineering, plant management and project management. His experience includes managing major pilot/demonstration programs - e.g. Tati Nickel (Norilsk) and Voisey’s Bay (CVRD/Inco); commissioning, designing and managing gold and uranium plant operations at Vaal Reefs in South Africa and has managed testwork, pilot campaigns and process design for Pasminco (Zinifex).  Paul produced conceptual flowsheets for Budel Zinc and Hobart Zinc to handle high silica concentrates and the piloting of the flowsheets.  He has developed innovative processes to upgrade concentrates and tailings by direct leaching through to either metal or an alkali metal product.

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.   

Bruce Messenger

 Senior Process Engineer

Bruce is a process engineer with more than 32 years experience primarily in nickel/cobalt refining and secondly in iron ore fines production.   He has provided process improvements and developed innovations by carrying out and directing laboratory tests, pilot plant programs, plant trials, justifications, design, implementation and commissioning. 

Bruce contributed significantly throughout a major brownfields expansion project from due diligence to ramp-up.  Key strengths include, process improvement and project planning, interpretation and application of test results.

Bruce has a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the University of Queensland.

Eleanor Hodgson

 Senior Process Engineer

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 Herzegovina.

 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".