Our Experts
We are proven experts in pre-concentration, geometallurgy, sampling and sensor-based ore sorting.
Our core competencies form the basis for three individual consultancies. In 2020 it was recognised that there is also significant synergies and customer value in providing integrated solutions to various industry stakeholders.
Christopher Robben
Dr Christopher Robben, the founder of SIX-S, has close to two decades experience in the field of preconcentration and sensor-based ore sorting. He has worked globally in sensor-, process-, and project development and is one of the world leading experts in this field. His focus lies on overall business improvement, sound engineering, mineral economics and financial modelling and he has extensive hands-on experience in process development, project development, pilot operations and production. He has received the Peruvian Prize for Innovation in Mining for the San Rafael Tin Ore Sorting Project which he developed on behalf of the equipment supplier.
Marie-Claude Halle
With over 20 years of experience, Marie-Claude is a subject matter expert in mining value chain optimization and extraction optimization. Her operational experience includes front line and senior operational roles in commodity such as diamonds, aluminum, base metals, lithium and potash. In the recent years, Marie-Claude’s focus has shifted to advisory and consulting roles in the areas of organizational and digital transformation, new technology product development, commercialization and de-risking. Some examples of her work include digital transformation at a potash mining company, optimization of metallurgical mass balancing at a copper heap leach mine, conducting sensor-based sorting project evaluation studies, mining tech start-up Board Advisor, as well as developing and optimization product development roadmap and commercialization for converting a cement product line into the copper market. As innovation and diversity champion, Marie-Claude is involved as mentor for various women in mining mentorship program and has worked with organizations supporting tech start-up companies such as the Manufacturing and Digital superclusters as project assessors. Well regarded in the industry, Marie-Claude has contributed to several webinar and podcasts, especially on the topic of technology for pre-concentration in mineral processing using sensor-based technologies.
Simon Dominy
Dr Simon Dominy is a mining geologist-engineer with over 25 years experience in operations, consulting, and academia. Dr Dominy has worked across the entire mine value chain from project studies, including implementation of geometallurgical programmes, through mine development, operations management and improvement to mine closure. He has extensive expertise in the evaluation and exploitation of gold mineralisation, including grade and metallurgical sampling and piloting programmes, resource/reserve estimation, ore control, mine design and project management. He has been involved in a number of ore sorter sampling and test work programmes for gold operations. Dr Dominy is a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and Competent Person under JORC and PERC.
Kim H. Esbensen
Kim H. Esbensen is an international expert and consultant in sampling (Theory of Sampling, TOS), PAT (Process Analytical Technology) ans chemometrics (multivariate data analysis). Through a 35-year academic career involving three professorships, he has conducted R&D across a wide range of application fields, primarily in process industries (mining, minerals extraction and processing, bio-fuels, recycling, environmental monitoring, nuclear waste), in environmental science a.o. In 2015 he established an international consultancy (KHE Consulting). He is a recipient of the Pierre Gy Sampling Gold Medal (2013), and the Russian Chemometrics Society Gold Medal (2012). In 2003 he inaugurated the biannual series of World Conferences on Sampling and Blending (WCSB), now in its 10th edition. Mr. Esbensen is editor of the magazine TOS Forum and of the Sampling Column in Spectroscopy Europe/World.
Julian Heizmann
Dr Julian Heizmann, a mineral processing professional with 12 years of relevant experience in the mining and minerals industry. He has worked in both academia and industry, and has held roles in research and development, project management, business development and general management functions. For the past five years, Dr Heizmann has focused on project due diligence, feasibility assessment, and the development and implementation of mineral industry processing projects. He has written both, his Master thesis as well as his PhD thesis with a focus on sensor-based ore sorting and flotation and has demonstrated his expertise in the field of pre-concentration by advising various mining companies on pre-concentration strategies for their mines.
David Turner
Dr. David Turner is a geoscientist and mineralogist with experience in a range of commodities and an emphasis in gemstones, precious, rare and critical metals. His career path has straddled academia, industry and government with an emphasis on knowledge creation and dissemination, including the development and adoption of new technologies across the mining value chain. He often takes a rocks- and minerals-first approach; important facets for understanding the potential impacts sensor-based pre-concentration and ore sorting.