Meet our 2026 Advisory Board
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Bromley Rowe
Orica
Johanna Kennerley
Ravenswood Gold
Kate Baker
Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner
Lara Jefferson
SQM International Lithium
Melissa Rasmussen
New Hope Group
Nicola Semler
Critical Minerals Group
Tanya Cambetis
OceanaGold
Tanya Cambetis
Project Manager – Underground Operations and TransformationOceanaGold
Tanya Cambetis is a senior operational leader in the mining industry with a career built from the ground up. Beginning as an underground operator, she excelled through supervisory roles across assets in Queensland and the Philippines while earning her Mining Engineering Degree from Federation University.
Tanya’s career has been shaped not by traditional pathways, but by pivotal moments, mentorship, and leaders who challenged her to think bigger. Her career journey has provided her with unique perspectives allowing Tanya to excel in leading mining operations, ensuring safety, productivity and efficiency. She has led complex initiatives delivering significant operational outcomes, including multimillion-dollar cost savings, contract optimisation, and large-scale transformation programs across international operations.
Known for her authentic and empathetic leadership style, Tanya is passionate about developing people, teams, and creating the conditions where others step into opportunities they don’t yet think they’re ready for. She is a strong advocate for inclusion in mining and is recognised for her work in mentorship and leadership development, with a focus on increasing female representation in operational leadership roles. Tanya received the 2022 Outstanding Trade/Technician/Operator Award at the Queensland Women in Mining awards.
Melissa Rasmussen
Senior HR AdvisorNew Hope Group
Johanna Kennerley
Head of Sustainability and EnvironmentRavenswood Gold
Kate Baker
ManagerOffice of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner
Kate is the Manger of the Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner. She earnt her degree, a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of East Anglia in the UK. Kate has worked for environmental consultancies in both the UK and Australia before joining the Queensland Government. Prior to working in the Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner Kate worked on the development and implementation of the mine rehabilitation reforms within the Department of Environment and Science as well as a range of other resource related operational and implementation matters.
Nicola Semler
Chief Technology OfficerCritical Minerals Group
Nicola Semler is a Metallurgical Engineer with an extensive background in the mining and resources industries, both in Australia and internationally. Her experience encompasses greenfields and brownfields project development, commissioning, operations, cultural transformation, strategic and operational business planning and mine closure. She has been the CTO for Critical Minerals Group since May 2023.
Ms Semler has been a committee member of WISER from its inception and is currently lead for the Communications sub-committee.
Lara Jefferson
Environmental ManagerSQM International Lithium
Lara Jefferson is a sustainability and business transformation leader at SQM International Lithium, working across Australia, Chile, and China.
She specialises in integrating ESG, strategy and emerging technologies to drive performance, transparency, and long-term value across global operations.
With a PhD, MBA and GAICD, Lara brings a rare combination of technical depth and executive perspective and a practical understanding of what it takes to deliver outcomes in fast-moving, high-pressure environments. She is increasingly focused on how artificial intelligence is reshaping leadership, decision-making and competitive advantage in mining. Having applied AI directly in her work, she’s seen that it doesn’t replace people, but it does quickly change who’s leading the room.
From streamlining complex reporting to strengthening executive communication, Lara uses AI in ways that are practical, time-saving, and like most of us are looking for, make a busy week just that little bit more manageable.
Today, she’ll share how AI can be used not just as a tool, but as a genuine career accelerator in the decade that will define the future of mining leadership.
Bromley Rowe
Manager – Human Resources Business PartnerOrica