About
Joanne Heyes
30+ YEARS IN MINING | 20+ YEARS AT BHP | FAusIMM | GAICD
Joanne Heyes is a mining engineer and mine closure specialist with 30 years’ experience across mining operations, strategy, governance and closure.
Jo spent more than 20 years with BHP in operational, technical and leadership roles. Her closure experience spans the mining lifecycle, from integrating closure into mine design and operational planning through to enterprise governance and Board-level closure risk.
Today, through Clarity Mine Closure, Jo provides independent senior advice to mining companies, Boards and investors globally.
A business perspective on closure
Closure outcomes are shaped by decisions made throughout the life of a mine, often decades before closure itself.
Jo combines deep closure expertise with an operational mining perspective. She understands the immediate pressures of running a mining business as well as the longer-term consequences of the decisions being made.
Her strength is in looking across the different parts of closure, identifying material uncertainties and gaps, and bringing the picture together in the context of the business and the decisions being made.
20 years in Industry
Experience ThAt MatterS
From operations to enterprise closure | BHP
At BHP Iron Ore, Jo established and led a dedicated closure team, working across field teams, operational leadership, technical functions and the Iron Ore executive to strengthen how closure was understood, planned and integrated into the business.
She subsequently moved into Group-level closure governance, developing BHP’s closure standards and supporting assets globally in their implementation. Her work helped executives and the Board understand closure risk across a large and diverse portfolio, including common issues, industry trends, areas requiring greater attention and material uncertainties not necessarily visible through the financial provision alone.
Global good practice | ICMM
Jo chaired the development of ICMM’s mine closure good practice guidance while representing BHP. She was subsequently engaged directly by ICMM to support further development of its closure guidance and improve consistency between its closure and tailings good practice guides.
From strategy to implementation | IGO Nova
More recently, Jo worked alongside the Nova team over an extended period, providing independent closure advice, maturity assessment, strategic support and mentoring as the operation strengthened its approach to closure and moved from strategy towards implementation.
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