Michelle Theron joins Stantec’s mining tailings group

LinkedIn photo.

Stantec has hired Michelle Theron, PrEng, as a senior principal geotechnical engineer in its mining tailings group.

As part of the consulting engineering firm’s mining services team, Theron will design and assess tailings facilities for clients around the world. Based in Denver, Colo., she will also be tasked with growing the firm’s management services in this sector.

Hailing from South Africa, Theron has more than 20 years’ experience in designing tailings dams. She wrote Anglo American’s guidelines for stability analyses considering undrained conditions for static loading, has executed independent expert reviews of tailings designs for projects around the world and won an award for her seismic stability assessment of the Geita tailings storage facility in Tanzania.

“The mining industry has responded to recent tailings storage facility failures by creating a number of robust management guidelines and standards,” says Brian Mashford, Stantec’s vice-president (VP) of mining. “Someone who understands dam safety and technical components is essential. We’re thrilled to welcome Michelle on board to better support the industry.”