K92 Mining Appoints Robert Smillie as Vice President - Exploration
[Click image to enlarge]
K92 Mining has appointed Robert Smillie, as vice president - Exploration. Andrew Kohler will step down as interim vice president - Exploration and will resume the role as chief geologist.
“Robert’s deep understanding of PNG’s geological environment, plus his significant and diverse exploration experience including leading large exploration programs and teams, combined with Kainantu’s highly-prospective, world-class geological environment, well positions K92 to advance our exploration strategy,” said John Lewins, K92 chief executive officer and director.
“We are extremely delighted to have Robert join the team. We congratulate Robert on his appointment as vice president - Exploration and we look forward to his future contributions as we pursue the exciting opportunities ahead,” added Lewins.
Robert Smillie is a highly experienced mineral exploration executive, with more than 35 years in the mining industry, specializing in epithermal gold and copper-gold systems. He has held senior leadership roles throughout the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Timor-Leste. Notably, while leading exploration at Ok Tedi Mining in PNG, Smillie’s team made a major discovery at the Townsville project, a zoned skarn breccia with over 800 meters of vertical extent, representing Ok Tedi’s most significant near-mine copper-gold discovery in more than 30 years. While at Ok Tedi, Smillie led large exploration programs and teams, with a maximum annual budget of up to AUD$25 million. He brings extensive experience in both greenfield and brownfield exploration, as well as mine geology, at both junior and mid-tier mining companies, including OceanaGold, WMC Resources, and Calibre Mining, plus New Zealand’s Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited. Smillie holds a Master of Business Administration from Victoria University, a Master of Science in Geology from Otago University, and a Bachelor of Science from Otago University, and he is a Fellow of both the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) and Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM).
K92 Mining is engaged in the production of gold, copper and silver at the Kainantu Gold Mine in the Eastern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea, as well as exploration and development of mineral deposits in the immediate vicinity of the mine. The company declared commercial production from Kainantu in February 2018, is in a strong financial position, and is working to become a tier 1 mid-tier producer through ongoing plant expansions. A maiden resource estimate on the Blue Lake copper-gold porphyry project was completed in August 2022. K92 is operated by a team of mining company professionals with extensive international mine-building and operational experience.
Be in-the-know when you’re on-the-go!
FREE eNews delivery service to your email twice-weekly. With a focus on lead-driven news, our news service will help you develop new business contacts on an on-going basis.
CLICK HERE to register your email address.
Copyright © 2025 Mining Connection LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.
For licensing permission, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
