ATLANTECH - Key Persons
Dean Sorley is a principal mining engineer and industry heavyweight, armed with over 30 years domestic and international experience gained from open cut and underground coal, gold and iron ore operations, and a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) with Honours II Division I from the University of Wollongong.
Dean has developed strong technical skills, highly integrated with deep financial understanding and analysis associated with mining businesses and is well versed in how to drive high return improvements.
He enjoys working collaboratively with technical, operational and commercial personnel to ensure plans are delivered to meet business objectives.
Dean has well developed problem definition and solution creation skills and has used LEAN methods to assist in improving businesses at operational levels.
In his spare time, Dean enjoys cycling different areas around Newcastle, and kayaking. So much so, he has even kayaked across the Bass Strait!
Job Titles:
- Senior Environmental Consultant
Dean Woods is a highly motivated and qualified environmental professional with experience in environmental management within the mining industry and local government.
With a thorough understanding of NSW environmental and planning legislation, Dean has considerable knowledge and experience in the development and implementation of environmental systems including mine site rehabilitation programs.
Armed with a Bachelor of Environmental Science (Land and Water) and a Graduate Certificate in Business from Charles Sturt University, as well as over 8 years industry experience, Dean is a welcome addition to the Atlantech team.
For leisure, Dean thoroughly enjoys spending quality time with his family, regularly exploring new places together and an occasional game of golf where he can find the time.
Job Titles:
- Senior Environmental Consultant
Hannah Lumsden is a passionate environmental professional with over 8 years industry experience and a Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management from the University of Newcastle.
She has gained extensive environmental management experience as well as notable exposure across a wide array of coal mining departments and reas such as production, coal and logistics, blasting, human resources and people management, as well as involvement in business planning.
Hannah has actively sought a wider exposure to other coal mining operations, with the aim to gain knowledge and learnings about the challenges, as well as environmental practices and methodologies that she will bring to her role at Atlantech.
Living with her husband on a small farm, Hannah enjoys spending her free time being outdoors with their two young sons. Her husband is also an employee within the mining industry in the Hunter Valley.
Job Titles:
- Director and Environmental Lead
Jason Desmond is a passionate environmental professional and leader with over 15 years industry experience and a Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management from the University of Newcastle.
Jason has previously worked across several open-cut coal and metalliferous mine sites within Australia. This has included working as a consultant, mining supervisory positions as well as site-based environmental roles ranging from Environment & Community Officer through to Environment & Community Manager leading a team.
Jason has experience in Project Approvals, Management Plans, Mining Operations Plan, Rehabilitation monitoring, site compliance, life-of-mine and budget planning, reporting (Annual Reviews, Annual Returns, non-compliance) mine closure, auditing, government and community liaison as well as mentoring of many students/undergraduate/graduates. He possesses an environmental auditors' certification as well as statutory certificate of open cut examiner.
Jason is passionate about supporting clients in the mining industry whilst leveraging off his vast prior experience.
Job Titles:
- Mining Engineer
- Senior Mining Engineer
Jonathan Kelly is a highly knowledgeable mining engineer, equipped with over nine years industry experience and a Bachelor of Engineering (Scholar) - Mining (First Class Honours) from the University of Wollongong and a NSW Open Cut Examiners Certificate of Competence and Practising Certificate.
His accolades include the AusIMM Award for Academic Achievement in 2012 and the University of Wollongong 4th Year Mining Engineering Prize and Con Martin Memorial Prize.
Jonathan has worked in roles with BHP, Glencore and Xstrata Coal NSW, across a diverse range of mining activities on open cut and underground mine sites in Australia. Via his vast mining experience, Jonathan has developed skills to specialise in: open cut coal mining (truck and shovel, dragline, steeply dipping coal seams), underground coal mining (longwall mining), mine planning software (Deswik, Spry, XPAC, Talpac, 3D Dig), mine design software (Deswik, Vulcan, Minex, AutoCAD) and fleet management and reporting systems (Leica MineOps, MineStar, MinVu, Corvus).
Jonathan is highly motivated, safety conscious and environmentally focused with strong analytical and problem solving skills. He has a client focus on financial costing when decision making, working as part of a team, and producing high quality results. His strong communication skills, ability to mentor colleagues with varying skill sets and experience levels as well as providing graduate support makes him a great asset in his role at Atlantech.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Environmental Consultant
Jonathan Kool is a proactive and enthusiastic environmental professional, who graduated from the University of Newcastle with a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in January 2021.
His Class 1 Honours Project involved research conducted at the University of Newcastle and The Hunter Water Corporation and is entitled "Distribution and ecology of Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) within the Williams River Catchment: Implications for drinking water supply".
Jonathan's work experience includes several roles with PetQuarters, most recently as Import Biosecurity Facility Manager. During this time, he was successful in writing and integrating company-wide policy and procedures to decrease fish mortality.
For leisure, Jonathan enjoys caring for his property, which includes decorative and edible gardens, tending to his aquariums, collecting antique items, and spending time with family over a BBQ.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Managing Director
- Mining Engineer
Mansour Nasrollahzadeh is a highly skilled mining engineer and entrepreneur, equipped with over ten years industry experience and a Master of Mining Engineering from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor of Mining Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology - Tehran Polytechnic.
His roles across open cut and underground mine sites in Australia have enriched Mansour with a wealth of knowledge in the resources sector. Mansour has obtained the statutory certificate of open cut examiner, which illustrates his thorough understanding of legislation and safe practice in the mining industry.
Mansour specialises in: Mine planning, including tactical and strategic planning, through seam mining, scheduling, design, process optimisation, feasibility study, reconciliation, truck and haulage modelling. Drill and Blast, including design, loading and timing plan, constraints management, through seam blasting, hot hole blasting and process optimisation.
After a decade in the mining industry, Mansour decided to found Atlantech to provide first class mining engineering services to every client to whom quality matters.
Job Titles:
- Senior Environmental Consultant
Samantha (Sam) Hovar is a Senior Environmental Consultant with six years of industry experience and a Bachelor of Environment and Sustainability degree majoring in Environment Science with minors in Soil and Land Management and Water Science and Policy from the Australian National University in Canberra.
Most recently, Sam led the site in-house monitoring team at Glencore's McArthur River Mine in the Northern Territory, responsible for surface water, groundwater, marine water, fluvial sediment and air quality programs which include over 450 monitoring sites. She was also heavily involved in regulator engagement and external environmental approval applications for mining activities such as alternative storage of product concentrate and extension of the open pit. Prior to this Sam spent time in rehabilitation focussed roles within the Northern Territory and QLD. In 2022, Sam was a Northern Territory Women in Resources Exceptional Young Women Finalist.
In her spare time, Sam enjoys hiking, camping, travelling/exploring new places and country music. She also completed the Overland Track hike in 2022.
Tiju Thomas has accumulated an abundance of experience working on a diverse range of projects across the globe as a mining engineer since 1995, with a particular passion for drill and blast engineering. He is armed with 26 years in the mining industry and a Bachelor and Master of Science - Mining Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.