Mining HR Forum

Darian has more than 30 years of diversified experience in human resources management. He was previously Vice President, Human Resources, for Albemarle Corporation, and held several positions in the U.S. and Asia during his 12 years with The Coca-Cola Company. Prior to that, he held senior roles with Magma Copper and General Motors Corporation.

Mr. Rich is a graduate of the Labor and Human Relations program at Ohio State University and earned a Master of Science degree in Administration from Central Michigan University. He holds several professional certifications, including Certified Compensation Professional, Certified Benefit Professional and Global Remuneration Professional from the American Compensation Association.

Amra Basic, General Manager Human Resources, leads the global team of HR Business Partners responsible for shaping people strategies & solutions to support delivery of business outcomes within Energy and Minerals portfolio of Rio Tinto.

Through her progressive career, Amra has held various leadership roles in human resources and finance within various industries such as mining, manufacturing, telecommunications, IT and education. Amra brings global perspective to business and people agenda shaped through her 20 years of experience working in  Bosnia & Herzegovina, Germany, United Kingdom, United States and Canada. She is driven by the ever changing demands and challenges of organisations and leadership. Amra holds a Bachelor degree in Accounting and Education and a Master degree in Business Administration.

Emilie C. Schouten was named Senior Vice President, Human Resources in May 2019. She joined Coeur in 2013 as the Director of Talent Acquisition and Development. She was one of the first hired when Coeur moved the headquarters to Chicago and therefore, was instrumental in hiring the new team and implementing the performance management system for the Company.

Ms. Schouten has 18 years in Human Resources, starting her career in General Electric, where graduated from GE’s Human Resources Leadership Program. After 6 years as an HR Manager with GE, her division was acquired by the world’s largest electrical distribution company, Rexel, and Ms. Schouten went on to become the Director of Training and Development. Ms. Schouten has her B.A. in Sociology from Michigan State University and her M.S. in Industrial Labour Relations from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Tirelo Sibisi is Executive Vice President: Group Human Resources at AngloGold Ashanti, an International gold-mining company with 20 operations across North and South America, 8 countries in Africa and in Australasia and which employs more than 63,000 people.

She is an MBA graduate with over 20 years’ experience in the Human Resources (HR) field.

She was the Group HR and CSI Executive at PPC Cement with responsibility across South Africa, Rwanda, Ethiopia, DRC, Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. During her tenure she played an integral role in the operating model of the organisation make it move towards a multinational organisation.

She also developed and launched a Mentorship program for young talent within PPC.

She has particularly enjoyed her role in the acquisition of the new mining licenses and played an integral role in the development of sustainable community projects and Social labour plans.

Tirelo has extensive HR experience both locally and internationally. She spent her formative years in the information technology sector having spent 10 years with IBM (South Africa and Europe) and thereafter six years with Telkom. She is as a well-rounded Senior HR Executive with strengths in executive compensation, talent management, executive succession and stakeholder management.

Tara Wiseman is Vice-President, Global Human Resources for Kinross Gold Corporation, based in Toronto, Canada. She has overall accountability for Kinross’ people strategy and the human resources function, ensuring alignment to the business strategy, and effective support for the global operations. Prior to this role, Tara was the Vice-President, Global Total Rewards, with responsibility for executive compensation, global compensation and benefits programs, inclusion and diversity, global mobility and HR systems.

Tara has over 20 years of experience in Human Resources, having held a wide range of generalist and specialist positions. She been with Kinross for 11 years, building her understanding of the unique challenges of the mining industry and operating globally after having spent 13 years in the insurance industry.

Tara is a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL), and is a current member of the Human Resources Professional Association of Ontario, Canada.

Varugis is the President of Cambridge Executive Connections (CEC), a subsidiary of Cambridge Forums Inc. Since 2003, Varugis has held sales, production and management roles at three global conference and business information providers. Prior to joining Cambridge Forums in 2015, he was the Director of Conference Development at Insight Information, the Canadian subsidiary of ALM Media, LLC. In 2019, CEC was established as a specialised provider of sophisticated learning and networking experiences for private clients, family offices, institutional investors, and corporate leaders. Along with the flagship Forums, CEC builds Communities for members to engage and develop meaningful connections with their peers globally. As President, Varugis is responsible for the overall strategy, growth, and delivery of all services under the CEC banner.