Dr. Peter Wallin is the Deputy Program Manager for Boliden’s electrification program, leading research activities focused on electrification and automation within mining operations. He has a robust background in both industry and academia. Before joining Boliden, he managed a strategic innovation program at the research institute of Sweden, RISE. Peter’s extensive experience also includes seven years as Technology Research Manager at Volvo Construction Equipment, where he managed the research portfolio and developed key technologies within the construction and mining sectors.

With a Master’s and Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Mälardalen University, Peter has managed numerous research projects and served on various academic boards across Sweden. His expertise is pivotal in helping Boliden achieve its electrification goals, specifically in enhancing mining truck operations to foster a greener and more efficient future in mining.

Daniel Olsén is a Senior Development Engineer & Project Manager at Boliden, supporting the areas of electrification and automation within underground mining operations. Currently, he is leading and assisting various research and implementation projects in the scope of battery-electric loaders and trucks, mine electrification and automation systems.

Daniel has a M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology and has joined several development projects in the field of truck electrification. Before joining Boliden, he held a position as Product Manager for plug-in hybrid trucks at Scania.

Alex Peiffer is the Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Intramotev, a St. Louis-based manufacturer of self-propelled battery-electric railcars. He is an adjunct professor in the Entrepreneurship department at St. Louis University Chaifetz School of Business and holds an MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. Previously, he held brand management and marketing roles with large global companies including Nestle and Unilever, and served six years in the US Air Force in air cargo logistics.

Lucca Machado studied Business Administration in London, before starting at U&M in 2020 focused on the company’s project to create the first lithium-ion battery retrofit kit for a 200-ton truck as its coordinator. He is part of the third generation of the family business, trying to carry on the legacy of boldness and innovation.

Katherine (Katie) Beardslee is a dedicated and innovative Digital Mine Engineer at Carmeuse Lime & Stone. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology (MS&T) and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC).

Katie’s professional journey is marked by her passion for disruptive technology and innovation. She excels in leveraging datasets to enhance site efficiency, safety, and production. Her work is pivotal in shaping the future of mining, ensuring that the industry evolves with cutting-edge advancements.

Currently, Katie is collaborating with Intramotev to retrofit 1970’s side-dump rail cars into electric autonomous vehicles. This project aims to revolutionize material transportation from quarry to port, showcasing her commitment to sustainable and forward-thinking solutions in mining.

Katie’s expertise and forward-looking approach make her a valuable voice in the mining industry, and she is excited to share her insights and experiences at this conference.

Michael Lewis is Senior Director at Komatsu Mining, based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is co-lead of the Decarbonization and Electrification Group which is responsible for developing solutions to accelerate mine decarbonization. Prior roles within Komatsu Group include leadership roles in Engineering, Autonomy, Sales & Marketing, Brazil Business Unit, and Mining Services. Prior to joining Komatsu, Mr Lewis held a variety of roles at both Barrick Goldstrike and INCO Mines Research. He is also currently serving as Chairman of the Advisory Board for Queen’s University – Ingenuity Labs Research Institute.
Mr. Lewis holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Science in Mining Engineering, both from Queen’s University.

Dana Cartwright, Senior Manager, Climate & Innovation, works across multiple programmes in ICMM’s innovation portfolio, including the Innovation for Cleaner, Safer Vehicles (ICSV) initiative, climate change, health & safety, and tailings innovation.
Dana started her career in environmental regulation in the United States, before moving to the oil and gas industry where she gained significant experience in social performance, environment, health and safety roles in complex operating environments, as well as corporate roles managing climate and sustainability risk, assurance, and disclosures for various frameworks. She holds a strong belief that collaboration, innovation and multidisciplinary perspectives are the key to addressing today’s most pressing environmental and sustainability challenges.

Ann has 20 years’ experience in the resources sector, in both mining and offshore oil and gas. 14 of those years have been spent with BHP, spanning across maintenance, operations and project delivery. Ann has been a long tenure manager for our mining operations and held leadership positions in areas including rail, remote operations, engineering and NPI. Most recently Ann was the Fixed Plant Maintenance Manager for our Newman Operation. Holding tertiary qualifications in engineering and commerce, as well as having completed her MBA.

Brian R. Weller is the Vice President of Electrification for Caterpillar’s Resource Industries segment.
Since joining Caterpillar in 1986, Weller has primarily focused on product development for engines and machines, as well as held assignments in marketing and operations. He has held positions as product manager for Building Construction Products Telehandlers in Leicester, United Kingdom, and Large Track-Type Tractors in East Peoria, Illinois. From 2007 until 2015, Weller served as Director of Engine Design responsible for the development and implementation of Caterpillar’s Tier 4 engine program – the largest R&D program in the company’s history. He then became the Chief Engineer of Caterpillar’s Surface Mining & Technology division and served as the technical subject matter expert providing mentorship and leadership to product groups. He was previously the General Manager of Wheeled-Products Systems and Components Value Chain before being named vice president of Electrification for the Resource Industries segment.

Jason Bowsher has been with the leading copper miner for more than two decades working in the critical areas of mine planning, operations, projects, supply-chain management, and most recently centralized equipment life-cycle planning and decarbonization for the past four years. He holds a B.S. in Mine Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration, both from the University of Arizona. He currently heads the life-cycle and decarbonization teams within Freeport’s Sustainable Mining group, collaborating with both internal and external stakeholders in the capital efficiency optimization of key equipment assets, while delivering on projects that will enable the international mining company to effectively achieve its pathway towards decarbonization.

Gertjan Bekkers serves as the Vice President, Mines Technical Services at Torex Gold Resources. A seasoned mining executive, he brings broad experience in senior technical and operational leadership roles from across a diverse range of open-pit and underground mining operations, encompassing both precious and base metals.

His extensive on-the-ground knowledge equips him to lead initiatives spanning from strategic planning to operational excellence. He is particularly dedicated to the safe and efficient implementation of mining operations technology, underpinned by his Six Sigma Black Belt certification.

Before joining Torex in 2021, Gertjan held senior positions at Newmont and Glencore. He holds a Master’s degree in Mining and Petroleum Engineering from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Joaquín is a lawyer with a degree from the Catholic University of Chile and a PhD in law from the University of Navarra. He has an extensive background in the private business sector, as a board member and advisor for companies in the sanitary, shipping, financial, engineering and construction sectors. He was a counsellor of SOFOFA and of the Center of Public Studies (CEP) in Chile. Currently, he is also a member of the board of Salfacorp, the Cultural Patrimony Foundation and Camanchaca. He has been a Professor of Commercial Law for over 20 years and was a lawyer at the firm Prieto y Compañía.

James Oliver is a visionary leader in the mining industry, driving innovation as the Managing Director of Olitek, an Australian technology company revolutionizing mining safety and efficiency. Under his leadership, Olitek develops cutting-edge robotic engineering solutions for global mining giants, including BHP, Rio Tinto, and Glencore.

As CEO of BluVein, James is at the forefront of electrifying heavy mining fleets, paving the way for a more sustainable industry. His expertise in problem-solving has led to groundbreaking technologies, including advanced AN handling systems, underground charge-up solutions, and the Tyneloader container loading system.

A mechanical engineer with a first-class honors degree from Queensland University of Technology, James began his journey in the sugar cane fields of Mackay, Queensland. His passion for mechanical design and innovation now fuels industry-transforming advancements, making mining safer, more efficient, and future-ready.

Samu Kukkonen, Technology Director of Normet, has 15 years of experience in BEV research and development. His main responsibility is leading the technology development of Normet equipment. During his tenure, the Normet technology team has delivered products such as Normet SmartDrive®, Normet ElectroDynamic®, Normet SmartScan®, and Normet Charmec Revo®. In addition to his leadership role, Samu actively participates in design work, continuing to influence machine designs to this day.

Walter is a multicultural – multilingual heavy mining equipment commercial professional with 20+ years of experience in the mining equipment industry.
He has held multiple positions within FLANDERS leading multicultural teams and product groups.

He is the former Sr. Sales Manager for Mining and Oil & Gas for Latin America for Rolls-Royce Solutions America. Previously a Mining Industry Specialist for Caterpillar and former Chief of Productivity and Cost Analysis for Production Mining Equipment for Ferreyros.

Walter holds BS degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Nacional de San Agustin and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Thad Litkenhus is a Vice President of Product Management in Caterpillar’s Resource Industries segment. He is currently responsible for the Mining Electrification portfolio focused on delivering electrification solutions across a broad array of Caterpillar mining customer needs. Thad has over 27 years of industry experience across product and technology development, quality, product support, NTI and NPI, as well as machine platform and service solutions introductions. Thad’s experiences span agricultural, construction, power systems and mining industries, which has afforded substantial international engagement and learning opportunities.
Thad has served in a multitude of positions in the drivetrain, power systems and electrification domains as well as product management positions in Large Mining Trucks and Electrification. Previous assignments also included Global Technical Manager responsibility for Electric Drive Systems and Components development as well as the Energy & Transportation Power Systems arenas for Marine, Oil &Gas and Electric Power electronics. Thad has been involved in Electric Drive technology innovation since serving as the NPI Program Manager for Caterpillar’s first-of-its-kind D7E Electric Drive track type tractor.
Thad holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural & Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and has completed leadership and management certificates through Caterpillar, Inc. and Bradley University.

Under Construction….

Pär Sundqvist srEngineer Electrification & Automation
Over 25yrs of experience of Engineering and project management in under ground mining.

Zach Bergman is a battery specialist who has worked on a wide variety of technologies helping to launch and develop new battery materials and products. Currently he is responsible for the growth of the global market for Niobium Anode Active Materials (AAM) at CBMM, the world’s largest producer of Niobium products. He and his team focus on supporting multiple partner companies to promote their different niobium-based anode technologies to develop markets where their ultra-fast charging capability, extremely long life and high power density can create the most value for various applications around the world.

Previously Zach held commercial roles at Powall, a Dutch startup where he drove their growth into the battery materials industry, establishing a market to coat battery active materials with their novel thin film nano coating technology. He also worked as a Business Development Manager for Johnson Matthey Battery Materials where he was responsible for managing product development and qualification of both high nickel and LFP Cathode Active Materials (CAM) for large global cell manufacturers.

Zach is currently based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and holds an Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Bath in the UK, where he is from.

22 years of experience in Strategic Planning, Marketing and Commercial in the automotive industry – VOLVO – products: trucks, buses, construction equipment, spare parts, services and dealer network. Responsible for the E-Mobility strategic direction of Volvo Construction Equipment Latin America, ensuring the implementation and execution of the strategic objectives and the monitoring of market intelligence with the Dealers and Key Accounts in different segments.

Following the Cummins’ acquisition of First Mode assets, Molly Puga accepted a new, exciting challenge to lead this business as First Mode General Manager.

Prior to this role, Molly served as the Executive Director of Strategy, Product Planning & Digital for Cummins’ Power Systems business — setting the business unit strategy, identifying and investing in new, lower-carbon technologies and creating digital products that enable Power Systems’ industrial and power generation solutions. Molly also previously led teams in Corporate Strategy and Corporate Supply Chain to deliver on Cummins’ inorganic growth and supply sustainability initiatives.

Before Cummins, Molly was a mergers & acquisitions (M&A) professional at Deloitte Consulting with experience on 15 M&A transactions.

Education: DePauw University (BA), University of Michigan (MBA)