Day 2 – Welcoming Ceremony
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 3 | 9:00am
Location: Wellington Room
Speaker
Richard Trudeau, CCMEC Chair
Richard has had a four-decade long career in the mining industry, having recently retired from Hudbay Minerals in the role of Director of Health, Safety and Aboriginal and External Affairs and Director Human Resources, Indigenous and External Affairs.
Richard is also the past president of MAMI and long-time Mine Rescue co-chair. And is in his second year as chair of CCMEC. Richard cares about the long-term sustainability of mining in the province and believes in the need for more “boots on the ground” and easy access for exploration companies to explore and find that next mine.
Karen Rees, President of PDAC
Karen Rees has a B.Sc. Honours Geology degree from the University of Saskatchewan (1984), is a member of Professional Geoscientists Ontario (2002), and has enjoyed a career in the mineral exploration industry spanning 37 years. Karen began her geoscience career as a field and project geologist in northwestern Ontario, northern Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. As her career progressed, she became a manager of teams exploring multi-commodity projects across northwestern and northeastern Ontario. Possessing aptitude in governance and corporate functions, Karen was also an integral part of the management team.
Karen serves on the boards of three junior exploration companies with mineral exploration projects in Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba. As an enthusiastic proponent of the minerals sector, Karen began volunteering with PDAC in 2011. Elected to the board in 2018, Karen continues to be a member of PDAC committees including Executive, Awards, Human Resource Development, and the Student-Industry Mineral Exploration Workshop (S-IMEW), a flagship program of PDAC which celebrated its 15thanniversary in 2024.
Before being appointed President, Karen was also a member of the Governance and Nominating Committee.