November 9, 2015
The SME-NY NOVEMBER 2015 MEETING
"Where Are Mining Companies and Projects Getting Funded? And How?"
Alain Halimi,
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
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Alain leads Commonwealth Bank of Australia mining & metals debt platform for the Americas & EMA covering base metals, precious metals, bulk commodities and specialty metals. Alain has been a financier within the natural resources, energy and infrastructure sectors for 10+ years originating secured & unsecured debt financing (TL, RCF, pre-export financing, pre-payments, metal loans, etc), project financing, acquisition financing (bridge loans, opco/holdco financing, and stapled financing), capital markets (HY, project bonds, secured export notes, convertibles), mezzanine and holdco PIK financings. Alain has also been advising clients on a range of project financings, acquisitions and divestitures transactions. He has completed 100+ transactions with combined value of US$30+ billion across jurisdictions in the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific.
Prior to joining CBA, Alain was a Vice President at BNP Paribas New York within the Metals & Mining Structured Debt Group, focused on advising or arranging transactions for international mining and metals clients with his responsibilities have included origination, structuring, negotiation and closing of numerous limited and non‐recourse project & structured financings, in the capacity of Agent/Underwriter.
May 13, 2015
"Lithium - the Metal of the Future?"
Ihor Kunasz
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Ihor started his career with Foote Mineral Company, where he became chief geologist and the leading authority in the field of lithium deposits, having visited and evaluated practically all the major pegmatite and brine deposits of the world. His doctoral thesis was on the origin of lithium in Clayton Valley, NV, where the first brine deposit was commercially exploited for lithium. Today he is presently a consultant on lithium and brines with the TRU Group.
April 26, 2015
"Use Technology and Data to Manage and Reduce Cost and Risk and Optimize Mining Operations and Decisions"
Damian McKay, CAE Mining
Dylan Webb, Datamine
Dylan is a mining engineer with 19 years experience in operations management, mining studies and business improvement. Throughout his career he has worked for mining companies, consulting firms and technology suppliers in Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom. In his current role at CAE Mining, Dylan is responsible for the strategy and execution of the company’s software research and development, leading a team of over 50 software engineers. The company’s goal is to improve the productivity and efficiency of mining operations by providing leading-edge solutions built on its core database, desktop and cloud technology.
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Jose Favilla, IBM
Jose has more than 25 years of experience in designing and implementing innovative business solutions for the natural resources and process manufacturing industries including mining & metals, oil & gas, forest & paper and heavy equipment manufacturing. José has in-depth knowledge of the challenges, business drivers, leading practices, existing technologies and solutions. He has served many clients worldwide. José’s experience spans a number of areas including product specification, manufacturing, quality, production planning and scheduling, supply chain optimization, inbound and outbound logistics, asset management, risk management and safety. He has extensive experience in designing and implementing innovative solutions by working with leading research organizations. He has led major business and process innovation projects resulting in billions of dollars in financial benefits to his clients. He is a member of IBM Industry Academy, a prestige group of industry experts recognized for their eminence in the industry. José has authored a number of scientific and thought leadership papers and has spoken in numerous conferences around the globe. He has been serving as a mentor for MBA students at Notre Dame University.