William Joughin made Chairman of mining consultancy SRK Consulting

As the mining industry in South Africa continues to grapple with punishing economic conditions, mining consultancy SRK Consulting has made alterations to its operations in the country, appointing William Joughin as the new Chairman to replace the outgoing Graham Howell. Joughin has been with SRK for nearly two decades now. 

Mining is a key pillar of the South African economy, and one that is currently faltering. A drop in the price of precious metals such as gold and platinum over the last year has sent revenues for the sector into a nosedive. In addition, strong efforts from labour unions have driven up wages in the country, causing a spike in the cost of production for the labour-intensive industry.

As a result, mining consultants have found themselves in a pool of business, as companies in the mining sector look for advice on how to restructure and strategise in this period of turbulence. Energy consultancy Worley Parsons recognised this opportunity late last year,opening a Centre of Excellence for mining in the country, designed to provide operational improvements at each stage of production for mining companies

Now, mining consultancy SRK Consulting has promoted William Joughin to the position of Chairman. The international consulting firm consists of professional engineers and scientists who provide technical assistance to companies active in the natural resources industry. SRK Consulting was established in Johannesburg in 1974, and has since grown to employ 425 professionals, operating out of nine offices in South Africa.

William Joughin has been with the consulting firm since 1998, when he joined as a Senior Mining Geotechnical Engineer. Having obtained a BSc and an MSc in Mining Engineering and Rock Mechanincs from the University of Witwatersrand, Joughin began his professional career as a Mining Engineer at gold mining firm AngloGold Ashanti. 

In subsequent years, Joughin held the position of Seismologist and Rock Engineer at the Anglo American Gold Division as well as at Gold Fields of South Africa. Since joining SRK Consulting, Joughin was first promoted to Principal Mining Geotechnical Engineer in 2006, and has been a Partner at the firm since 2009.

Joughin specialises in underground rock engineering and risk-based design, and has project experience in the domains of methodology as well as layout design and stability. In the past, he has held the position of President of the South African National Institute of Rock Engineers, and is presently the Vice President for Africa at the International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering.

With 27 years of experience in mining and rock engineering under his belt, Joughin is set to rejuvenate SRK’s operations in light of the new environment. Commenting on this new role, Joughin said, “My focus as chairman will be on leveraging SRK’s distinctive combination of experience and innovative capability, where our expertise gathered over decades is captured and applied in new technologies that generate more value for our clients.”