Keynote Headliner Announced

We’re excited to announce that Lana Eagle, one of the mining industry’s leading voices on Indigenous engagement and relationships, will open CCMEC 2026 on Monday, November 2.

In her keynote, “Beyond First Engagement to Trusting and Lasting Relationships”, Lana will challenge attendees to think beyond the critical first steps of Indigenous engagement and explore what it takes to build relationships grounded in trust, respect and lasting collaboration.

For today’s mineral exploration industry, meaningful early engagement with Indigenous communities is essential. But what happens next? How do companies move beyond initial conversations and commitments to develop relationships that endure?

Drawing on decades of experience spanning banking, economic development, wealth management and mineral exploration, Lana brings a unique perspective to these questions and a deep understanding of what it takes to build meaningful relationships between industry and Indigenous communities.

A member of the Whitecap Dakota First Nation, Lana is widely recognized for her expertise in Indigenous engagement and for helping mineral exploration companies develop stronger relationships with Indigenous communities. She has also been a trailblazer for Indigenous women in the sector, becoming one of the first Indigenous women to chair a publicly traded junior mineral exploration company.

Lana currently serves on the boards of Geoscience BC, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), where she is co-chair of the Indigenous Affairs Committee and Kodiak Copper Corp.

Her keynote promises to set an important tone for CCMEC 2026: practical, forward-looking and focused on building the relationships that will shape the future of mineral exploration.

And Lana is just the beginning as we’ll be announcing our closing keynote speaker very soon.

Our keynote program will anchor two days of technical sessions, industry insights and networking, alongside a trade show that is now very close to sold out.

If you’re part of the mineral exploration community, CCMEC 2026 is shaping up to be an event you won’t want to miss.

To see the complete program schedule, check out this page here.