Expanding Perspectives - Indigenous Awareness for Mineral Explorers

Marlena Anderson is a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation, located in the central interior of British Columbia. Marlena has worked across various sectors, with 10 years in natural resource development. She has field and operational experience developing and implementing social management and social performance activities, including agreements with Indigenous groups while integrating Indigenous knowledge and values throughout. Marlena has played key roles in company and asset level initiatives, including strategy, policy and program development, audits, training and advisory services for operations and exploration teams.

Marlena brings her Indigenous knowledge and perspective to every aspect of her work, including education and training, by developing and facilitating one of Teck’s first Indigenous Cultural Awareness courses. She is experienced in fostering cross-functional collaboration through inclusion, meaningful dialogue, and participatory development to strengthen both the community and the workplace.

While Marlena is very connected to her culture and community, she is motivated by the impacts and effects of colonization and understands the need to contribute to education and dialogue at all levels of resource development and communities for cultural understanding on both sides.

Lana Eagle is an Indigenous relations strategist and a Social Innovator advising companies on how to better engage and work with Indigenous communities and to find a pathway forward through a Reconciliation framework.

In 2017 she was elected to the Board of the Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) BC, where she is the founder and co-chair of AME’s Gathering Place. In 2018, she was awarded PDAC’s Skookum Jim Award. She is a Program Advisory Committee Member for Mining and Mineral Exploration at the BC Institute of Technology. Lana is an appointed member of BC’s Indigenous Business and Investment Council. 

She is a Director on the Board of Geoscience BC and most recently has been elected to the board of Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada. Lana is a sought out speaker and lecturer on the topic of “Indigenous Engagement and Reconciliation in Canada”, as well as “Diversity and Inclusion.”
Lana is a member of the Whitecap Dakota First Nation in Saskatchewan.

Ms. Lee-Sheriff has worked for 30 years at senior officer level positions with public companies; regional governments, First Nation governments and private industry. Ms. Lee-Sheriff presently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Golden Predator Mining Corp. and Executive Chair of C2C Gold Corp. She also serves as President of Group 11 Technologies, a US based company with a strong and proven technical team focused on developing environmentally friendly precious metals extraction. She is the founder and and President of the Yukon Mint Corporation producing green gold coins. She founded the Yukon Mining Alliance, a marketing group, and has now founded a new marketing group - Newfoundland Gold.

With a strong commitment to social responsibility and community engagement she has successfully negotiated and implemented socio-economic and exploration agreements with indigenous governments plus implemented numerous innovative programs to ensure community involvement in corporate projects. Ms. Lee-Sheriff is a member of the PDAC Indigenous Affairs Committee, holds a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) degree from Queens University (1986), and is a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Commemorative Medal awarded for outstanding achievements by Canadians.

Ryan Montpellier was appointed as Executive Director of the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) in 2008. With over 15 years of experience in identifying and addressing human resource and labour market challenges in the Canadian mining industry, he leads all strategic activities of the Council and represents MiHR on various industry and government committees, and advisory panels. He is a recipient of the Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM) Young Leaders Award and the International Association of Business Communicators Gold Quill Award.

He is a regular speaker and panelist at industry events and was a past Distinguished Lecturer for CIM. Ryan holds a number of degrees including an MBA and a Project Management Professional (PMP) designation.