Key Personnel
Meet the Key Personnel for the Kalgoorlie Nickel Project.
Shaun O'Neill
Acting Project Director
Shaun O’Neill is a Project Manager with 28 years’ experience in the mining industry. Shaun’s career spans across operations, projects, commissioning, and resource development with a broad range of commodities experience including nickel, iron ore, alumina, mineral sands, lithium, graphite, and rare earth elements.
Shaun has a strong track record in managing high-pressure, complex hydrometallurgical projects throughout Western Australia. He has previously led commissioning and ramp-up teams, consistently delivering optimisation and operational efficiencies across demanding project environments.
His core expertise encompasses operations management, project management and project financing, and cross-commodity proficiency and adaptability.
Shaun holds a Bachelor of Science (Chemistry, Extractive Metallurgy) from Murdoch University, Western Australia.
Irena Ivanova
Manager - Engineering and Process Plant
Irena Ivanova holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering and worked in the minerals and metals industry for over 25 years. Her commodity experience covers copper, nickel, cobalt, uranium, vanadium, magnetite / hematite, gold and battery recycling materials.
Irena has extensive expertise in process design, technology implementation, study, project and engineering management and team development, gained through her roles in international engineering houses, such as Hatch, Fluor, Tetra Tech and Ausenco. Prior to joining KNPL, Irena was a General Manager Evaluation Studies at Neometals Ltd.
Chris Loveland
Mining Manager
Chris Loveland is a Mining Engineer with over 16 years’ experience in the industry specialising in tailings, open-pit mining, and QAQC solutions. Chris has demonstrated exceptional leadership in managing and shaping large-scale mining operations.
As a Technical Services Manager, Chris was integral to the construction, operational readiness, and early operations of a major mineral sands project, showcasing proficiency in mine engineering, hydrogeology, geology, process engineering, and mine tailings planning.
Chris holds a Quarry Manager Ticket and is a Site Senior Executive (SSE) with a deep understanding of open-pit mining operations excelling in orebody knowledge, planning, execution, and project management.
Throughout his career, Chris has shown unwavering dedication to optimising mining operations and delivering innovative solutions, establishing himself as a distinguished leader in the field.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) from Curtin University, and a Graduate Certificate in Mining Finance from Kaplan Professional.
Robert Barnard
Project Services Manager
Robert Barnard holds a Master of Science in Quantity Surveying from the University of Pretoria and is a professionally registered Quantity Surveyor and estimating specialist with over 19 years of experience in capital cost estimating, contract management, and integrated project controls across major mining, petrochemical, energy, and infrastructure projects in multiple jurisdictions.
Robert has led integrated project controls and contract assurance functions on large capital programmes and has recently been responsible for the full contractual and commercial structuring of a greenfield development project. His experience spans commercial governance, assurance, procurement alignment, and post-award contract administration across multiple work packages and execution teams.
Robert brings strong capability in the development and independent review of CAPEX estimates, with particular expertise in estimate classification, methodology selection, and accuracy assessment aligned with international standards including AACEI, RICS, and AusIMM. His experience includes managing estimate scope and interface integrity, and assessing estimate maturity and defensibility to support investment decision-making.
Robert’s integrated understanding of estimating methodology, contract risk allocation, and project controls ensures consistent alignment of cost assumptions, procurement outcomes, and execution-phase commercial controls across all project phases.
Alyson Blackburn
Human Resources Business Partner
Alyson Blackburn is a seasoned People & Culture professional with over 15 years’ experience in partnering with businesses to meet their Human Resource needs. As an HR Generalist, Alyson provides comprehensive support across the entire employee lifecycle.
Alyson is a Certified Human Resources Practitioner through the Australian Human Resources Institute. Her extensive background includes leading HR Change projects, Policy implementation, Diversity and Inclusion Committee’s and initiatives, and managing a HR portfolio at WA’s largest single-site employer.
Jen Loh
Senior Management Accountant
Jen Loh is an experienced accounting and finance professional with over 16 years’ experience within the mining, construction, and property development industries. Jen has extensive knowledge of project accounting and is successful at managing multiple projects at a time.
Notable achievements include leading projects that significantly cut report preparation time and stayed consistently under budget.
Jen is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) and holds a Bachelor of Accounting from Curtin University of Technology.
Robert Embry
Geology Manager
Robert Embry is a Geology Manager with more than 25 years of international mining experience across Australia, Brazil, the Philippines, New Caledonia, and Laos. He has extensive expertise in resource development, project evaluation, resource and grade control estimation, QA/QC, reconciliation, and mine geology across a diverse range of commodities including nickel, cobalt, copper, gold, lithium, hematite, and magnetite.
Prior to joining the team, Robert held senior corporate geology roles with Glencore, where he provided technical leadership and due diligence for global nickel growth projects. His responsibilities included evaluating and prioritising investment opportunities, supporting corporate resource governance, serving as a Competent Person under the JORC Code, and advising on resource reporting and strategic project development.
Robert holds a First Class Honours Bachelor of Science (Geology) from the University of Western Australia and has been a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) since 2008. He combines strong technical expertise with commercial insight, enabling him to deliver practical, value-driven outcomes for mining operations and resource development projects.