Just over a year after stepping into the role of GM for Australia’s global engineering consultancy firm MEC Mining, Christofer Catania has been appointed its CEO.
The appointment comes as MEC makes strategic shifts to facilitate a new chapter of growth for the company.
“This is an exciting time for our industry,” MEC director Simon Cohn explains. “The CEO role is new to our organisational structure and is something that we saw necessary to drive the aspirational goals of our business, while providing support for our existing team.”
MEC Mining’s global reach extends across Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania, and the consultancy’s projects span a variety of minerals sectors. In 2019/20, it experienced 25% growth from the year before, largely associated with the establishment of its office in Western Australia (with its market in underground metals, particularly gold) and with MEC’s growing international presence. The company is also thriving on Australia’s east coast, and its new geotechnical engineering arm has been a success.
“Chris Catania has high-level technical and operational expertise, combined with his experience in project management and leadership. This made him an exceptional GM as MEC focused on international growth, our burgeoning business in Western Australia, and MEC’s standalone advisory arm,” Cohn notes. “He has a substantial history as a valued member of our team, and we look forward to working with him in the role of CEO.”
Catania’s long association with MEC began around 15 years ago, when he was one of its first recruits. Since then, he has worked with MEC for nearly a decade in total. In recent years, he has progressed from Manager of Consulting Services to General Manager Operations, before being appointed GM in 2020.
“I am thrilled to be stepping into the role of CEO in a company that I thoroughly enjoy working in,” says Catania. “MEC has continually demonstrated its ability to respond to the market with agility and integrity, and I am honoured to play a role in steering it towards an even brighter future.”
Established in 2005, MEC Mining is an Australian-based, globally active mining consultancy, specialising in mine planning, feasibility studies, and onsite professional services solutions for the mining industry. The MEC team works with the latest software to bring robust, innovative, and low-cost mining solutions to projects across the minerals sector throughout the world. MEC Mining is headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and a second office opened in Perth, Western Australia, late last year.
