Leadership

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

James Smith
James Smith
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director

James is a highly experienced and qualified executive with more than 25 years’ experience in the mining, industrial and financial sectors. Originally a process engineer in the mining industry, James has held various consulting, investment advisory and operational leadership positions. He has extensive experience in strategy development and execution, operational excellence, mergers and acquisitions and organisational leadership within the mining and industrial sectors.

Michael Sucher
Michael Sucher
Chief Financial Officer

Michael has more than 20 years’ experience in the accounting and resources sectors, and possesses extensive skills and experience in financial accounting, reporting, governance and business process improvement. Michael is a Chartered Accountant (CAANZ) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne.

JC Heslinga
JC Heslinga
Executive Vice President – Global Project Excellence

JC joined DRA in 2008 and has 28 years’ projects experience, the majority in mining industry. He has been involved in large scale mining and minerals processing, petrochemical and industrial studies and projects across Africa, implementing various greenfields and brownfields projects. In his current role as Managing Director, JC leads the DRA Projects businesses in Europe, Middle East and Africa regions where he will develop and establish a scalable and continuous improving engineering and projects delivery model.

Alistair Hodgkinson
Alistair Hodgkinson
Executive Vice President - EMEA, SENET and South America

Alistair has been involved in large scale mining and minerals processing projects across EMEA, implementing various greenfields and brownfields resources projects for more than two decades. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Eng) (Mechanical) from the University of the Witwatersrand, an MBA from the University of Cape Town and is a registered professional engineer.

Darren Naylor
Darren Naylor
Executive Vice President - APAC

Darren is a seasoned executive with over 25 years’ experience across various industrial sectors, of which more than 15 are specialised in the engineering, mining and metals industry across Africa and Australia. In this time Darren has managed numerous multidisciplinary mining studies and projects and has operated at both senior executive and board levels. Darren is a commercially astute leader with excellent interpersonal skills and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Johannesburg as well as an MBA (with distinction) from Henley Business School.

Pierre Julien
Pierre Julien
Executive Vice President – Global Origination and North America

Pierre has over three decades of global mining industry experience where he has held a number of technical and executive roles. Pierre is a graduate of Haileybury School of Mines and holds an MBA from Queen’s University. Pierre also represents DRA Global, and the industry, at executive and board level within the Canadian Mineral Processors Society and the Canadian Institute of Mines, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM). 

Rashid Kader
Rashid Kader
Executive Vice President – Global O&M Capability

Rashid has spent the last 23 years in the Research, Operations and Management disciplines, 20 of which at Minopex.Some of the roles held in his career ranged from Shift Superintendent, Plant Metallurgist and Process Superintendent in the former years of his career to management roles such as Plant Manager, Regional Manager, General Manager and Operations Director.