Secretariat

Fiona is the Chief Executive Officer of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), which she joined in March 2015, with responsibility for strategic, financial, governance and operational leadership of the organisation. She also acts as ASI’s Company Secretary.

Her career has specialised in building new and innovative initiatives in mineral supply chains over more than twenty years.  She was previously Director – Standards Development at the Responsible Jewellery Council from 2007 to 2015, where she developed a certification program for gold, diamonds and platinum group metals which has been adopted by more than 1000 companies across the supply chain from mine to retail.  She has served as a Board Member of the ISEAL Alliance and a founding member of the OECD’s Multi-Stakeholder Steering Group for responsible mineral supply chains.  From 1997, Fiona worked for ten years at Australia’s CSIRO, leading research into mining and sustainability, and was also seconded to WWF to manage a multi-stakeholder project on the feasibility of mine-site certification.  She has a Bachelors degree (Hons 1) in mechanical engineering, a PhD in philosophy of technology, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Andrew joined ASI in October 2022 and is currently based in Melbourne. As Director of Sustainable Investment and Legal, he will be responsible for driving ASI’s engagement with the sustainable finance and investment sector, including working on frameworks and assessment of sustainable financing of aluminium investments and capital raising. Andrew will also act as ASI’s internal legal counsel and joint Company Secretary with the CEO. He will gather and analyse market information and will contribute to ASI’s quest to transform global aluminium supply chains to mitigate ESG risks. Andrew will also assist with ASI’s Beyond Certification strategic pillar, creating linkages between capacity building for Indigenous communities and sustainable finance transitions.

Andrew is a lawyer and chartered secretary. Prior to joining ASI, Andrew was Group Executive Strategy and Business Development at Alumina Limited, where he gained 14 years’ aluminium industry experience. This included strategy, capital investment, M&A and business development activities and market analysis. He also worked with the International Aluminium Institute and the World Economic Forum on various aluminium circularity and decarbonisation projects. Prior to Alumina, he had around 20 years’ experience at Sibelco and WMC in resource company legal, commercial and EHS roles. Andrew holds Bachelors of Laws and Arts from Monash University and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance from the Governance Institute of Australia. He is an English native speaker, fluent in German and reasonable in French (or was once upon a time).

Beau joined ASI in July 2022 as Digital Solutions Engineer, responsible for delivering and improving ASI’s digital integrations, workflows, and data analysis/insights.

Beau has previously worked in local government and in multinational enterprise IT, and has experience with full-stack development, integration and automation, data analytics, system and network administration, as well as graphic design and digital media production. He has a particular affinity for creative technologies that allow him to merge his IT experience with his lifelong passions for music and visual design.

He holds a Bachelor of Information Technology from Federation University Australia, is a native English speaker and has some knowledge of French, Dutch and German.

Billy joined ASI in January 2022 as a Digital Projects Manager, responsible for ongoing evolution of ASI’s digital ecosystem, data governance and general IT support for the team.

He is a product-oriented project manager with a technical background. With 10 years of experience in the digital and technology fields, Billy’s experience span across digital transformation, eCommerce, AI and big data, process automations, web and mobile, performance and UX optimisations. He has also been in various roles – Scrum Master, Product Owner, operations lead, resource manager, and a subject matter expert on technology, digital and CRM. He is also a process designer who defines and improves operational efficiencies.

Before joining ASI, Billy has worked with different MNC brands including McDonald’s, Disney, Delta Air Lines, Pernod Ricard, AXA, Shangri-La Hotels, King (the Candy Crush company), Lexus (Toyota Motors) among others.

Cameron is based in Canberra, Australia and joined ASI in January 2020 as Director of Assurance, with leadership responsibility for ASI’s assurance systems including auditor accreditation, oversight processes, and ASI Certification to support assurance quality and integrity.

He is an environmental scientist with 20 years’ experience in HSEC performance standards, management systems, auditing and assurance, risk assessments, strategic reviews, and non-financial reporting. He also has extensive on-the-ground experience with biodiversity action planning, land and rehabilitation management and closure planning, including direct experience working in the aluminium value chain with bauxite mining, alumina refining and aluminium smelting operations. In recent years, Cameron has run his own sustainability management consultancy, and prior to that was with Rio Tinto for seven years as a senior environmental advisor working as both a corporate and business unit advisory and support role. Previously he was with URS Australia consulting to a variety of major multi-national organisations.

Cameron has in-country project experience in Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brazil, France, Guinea, Madagascar, Mozambique, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa and United States. Cameron is degree qualified in both environmental management and earth science, with professional experience also including health and safety and communities/social programs and initiatives.

Camille joined ASI in January 2020 and is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She is responsible for managing ASI’s learning and capacity building program. As Learning Manager, she is responsible for managing educationAL, ASI’s learning program for members, auditors, registered specialists and stakeholders.

Originally from France, she holds a Master in Business Management and a Master of Science in Creative Business and Social Innovation. Before joining ASI, she has experience working in local and international organizations on environment protection and sustainable development issues (including in the energy, forestry and tourism fields). She is a French native speaker and is fluent in English.

Carolyn is based in Melbourne, Australia and is responsible for leading the development, implementation and ongoing functionality of ASI’s online assurance platform, elementAL.

Carolyn has over seventeen years of experience in the Information Technology industry ranging from working for large services and development organisations to project based consulting engagements. Her experience includes the back-end development and implementation of online environments using a variety of software and tools, beginning from the time when web sites were ‘new’. She has also designed, implemented and maintained an audit database to record, track outstanding items and generate reports on audit outcomes and developed the tools to streamline the completion of audits and management of outcomes.

Carolyn holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Science (Computer Science) from RMIT.

Chinelo joined ASI in September 2021 and is based in London. As the Membership Director, she is responsible for leading membership growth, retention and general engagement strategies, and working with the ASI team on the enabling resources to support achievement of ASI’s broader strategies.

With over 18 years’ experience in the corporate membership sector, she has a flair for managing relationships. Her career has specialised in developing and embedding pragmatic customer focussed approaches to keep members at the heart of decision making. She was most recently Director, Membership Services at the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), where she developed engagement strategies including key account management processes and procedures which culminated in a 93% retention rate and an increased uptake in new member certifications. She pioneered the “member-love” approach which drove integration across multiple departments and ensured the needs of the diverse membership were met within the boundaries of the organisation’s values, policies and capacity.

She has served on the membership committee for the ISEAL Alliance and was a member of the management committee for the Lewisham Multi-Lingual Advice Service for nine years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a Master’s degree In Development Studies and leadership and management accreditations from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).  She is fluent in English and Igbo with a smattering of Yoruba on the side.

Chris Bayliss joined ASI in May 2021 as Director of Standards and since November 2023 has been Decarbonisation Adviser to the Initiative and its membership.

Chris has two decades of experience in the sustainability of the aluminium sector, leading the development and implementation of science-based approaches to emissions reduction among other programmes.

Gabriel joined ASI in May 2023 and is currently based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. As the Circularity Research Manager, he is responsible for the development and implementation of approaches that aim to shift the aluminium industry toward a more resource efficient and circular value chain.

Prior to joining ASI, Gabriel worked on several EU projects, where he assessed the sustainability of emerging technologies (nanomaterials, additive manufacturing, Industry 4.0) and the steel sector. He is a sustainability expert with over 15 years of experience advising Latin American companies in the extractive (hydrocarbon and mining), infrastructure, and public transport sectors. Gabriel’s research has focused on resource efficiency, material/energy services, sustainability assessments, and the circular economy, to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis of resource production, consumption, and accumulation.

Gabriel holds a PhD in Sustainable Energy Systems from the University of Lisbon (Portugal). He also obtained an Environmental Engineering degree at La Salle University (Colombia) and a master’s degree in Industrial Ecology and Energy Efficiency at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). Gabriel is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Jenny joined ASI in October 2023 as Finance Officer, based in Melbourne. She brings with her a wealth of experience in finance and accounting, having over 13 years experience working in both Melbourne and London. Jenny has a versatile background spanning various industries including banking, commodities trading, healthcare, education and not-for-profits.

Jenny is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA), holds a Bachelor of Business (Accountancy), and Advanced Diploma in Financial Services. Her expertise in financial reporting, financial management, compliance, risk and control make her a valuable professional in the field.

In her spare time, she can usually be found in the garden tending to her vegetable patch with her young children.

Julian is based in Melbourne, Australia. He joined the ASI team in September 2023 as a Full Stack Engineer. He works to support ASI’s IT systems and digital platforms and is currently responsible for supporting both front-end and back-end development for ASI’s new assurance platform, elementAL 2.0.

Julian earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Deakin University in 2022 and has subsequently established his career as a full-stack developer, designing and developing online platforms and ordering systems before coming to ASI. He is adept in both front-end and back-end systems development, with a proficiency for technologies such as React, Node.js, REST APIs, and MySQL.

Klaudia is based in Barcelona, Spain and joined ASI in 2021. As ASI Impacts Analyst, she is responsible for data and research activities relating to ASI’s workstreams, and manages annual Chain of Custody reporting and analyses.

Originally from Poland, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of Warsaw and a Master’s degree in Earth Sciences, Environmental Management from the University of Amsterdam. Thanks to her past roles she has a knowledge on sustainability reporting, climate change and energy, and understanding of relationships between environmental sustainability, climate change, social and economic issues. She has experience in developing analytical frameworks. She is a Polish native speaker, fluent in English, comfortable in Dutch.

Laura is based in The Hague, Netherlands, and joined ASI in January 2021. She supports benchmarking and harmonisation activities with external initiatives, as well as the ongoing development of ASI Standards.

Originally from France but having grown up in The Hague, she pursued a Bachelor in social geography and a Master in International Environmental Law at the University of Nottingham, with a particular focus on marine biodiversity conservation. Before joining ASI, she held a similar position at European Aluminium, involving communications with, and acquisition of members for the European Aluminium Association. She is fluent in French, Italian and English and proficient in Dutch, with some notions of Spanish as well.

Marieke joined ASI in January 2019 and is based in The Hague, Netherlands. She is responsible for ASI’s broader organisational partnerships and engagement activities, including benchmarking and harmonisation with related programs and growing ASI’s targeted collaborative efforts to drive change.

Marieke has over 12 years experience in the development and implementation of standards, certification and impact evaluation systems in mineral and metal supply chains. Her career started at the Responsible Jewellery Council in London where she managed RJC’s certification and Monitoring & Evaluation work programs. Within her role she worked collaboratively with other standards and initiatives including the De Beers Best Practice Principles (BPPs), Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000), the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), Swiss Better Gold Association (SBGA), and the Fairmined and Fairtrade standards. Her latest role was at Bettercoal, where she led the review and implementation of the new coal supplier Assessment Process, and established a multi-stakeholder Technical & Advisory Committee to complete this work through consultative and consensus-building processes over a two-year review period.

Marieke serves on the Technical Committee of the ISEAL Alliance and holds a Masters in Environment, Development and Policy from the University of Sussex, and a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology from the University of Amsterdam. She is a Dutch native speaker, fluent in English and a smattering of Spanish and German on the side.

Mark joined ASI in April 2021 and is based in Australia. As ASI’s Director of Research and IPAF Adviser, he is responsible for supervising, managing and supporting various research activities across the team, as well as leading the ongoing development and activities of IPAF and other ASI projects related to Indigenous Peoples and affected communities connected with the aluminium value chain.

Mark’s career has focused on sustainable development as the interface between Indigenous community development, community forestry and mining operations. He has over 20 years’ experience in environmental management, community forestry, engaging with Indigenous people, cross cultural communication, cultural heritage management and acting as the lead for negotiations between Indigenous communities and mining projects. He holds the position of Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast Forest Research Institute, as well as Adjunct Principal Fellow at the University of Queensland Centre For Mined Land rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute. Mark has worked on sustainability initiatives and research projects to further develop certification standards, including ecosystem services certification with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). He was a member of the FSC Australia Standards Committee that drafted the FSC Australia Standard and is a former Board member of FSC Australia New Zealand.

An environmental scientist and community forestry specialist with Australian and international experience, he has worked with Indigenous communities in developing environmental bauxite mine rehabilitation strategies. Over the past 6 years he has developed and led a number of research for development projects with Indigenous communities aimed at building capacity and increasing participation in the bauxite mining and forestry sectors. The research outcomes include an increased communication between Indigenous peoples, the mining sector and government to support Free Prior and Informed Consent principles and more sustainable bauxite mining operations. Mark has worked with the ASI Indigenous Peoples Advisory Forum from its first meeting in Malaysia in 2016, providing a technical support and facilitation role since then.

Michael is based in Tianjin, China and is responsible for working with the ASI assurance team to support the efficiency, effectiveness and integrity of ASI Certification and ASI Auditor Accreditation workflows in both a China and global context; and connect assurance insights across ASI work streams.

Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Material Science and Engineering from the Central South University Changsha China and a Master’s degree of  Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago USA. Michael started his career as an international sales in South Asia product category including heavy machinery, vessel accessories and security equipment. He joined Rio Tinto Alcan in 2009 and focus the business related to high speed train sector,  supplied Aluminum plates and sheet to CRRC (World biggest high speed train manufacturer). He has rich experience to deal the contacts with both China state owned and private companies, more than 15 years working experience for team cooperating with members from different countries and culture backgrounds. Before joining ASI, Michael was the leading role  for promoting the Gates Foundation’s Omni Processor project(waste treatment)  globally.

Michael is a Chinese native speaker and is fluent in English.

Michelle is based in Melbourne, Australia. She is responsible for financial administration and human resources functions within ASI.

Originally from Brazil, she has held a range of roles in accounting, office administration, customer service and government inspections for business compliance.  She holds a bachelors degree in history, a post-graduate degree in ecotourism, and a diploma in accounting. Michelle is fluent in English and Portuguese, and does well in Spanish and French.

Natalie is based in Perth, Australia and is responsible for managing the growing portfolio of certifications, delivering technical support on certification and assurance processes and providing oversight activities to support the integrity and impartiality of an ASI certification.

She has a Bachelor of Science (Environmental Management) and qualifications in environmental auditing and occupational health and safety and has a long history in managing industry-based sustainability certification programs, most recently for the urban development and automotive industries. Having also worked in state government, not for profit organisations and in the consulting industry, has provided advice on best practice environmental management in planning and development, building products manufacture and transport infrastructure.

Natalie is passionate about helping organisations mature their environmental and social responsibility journey with an emphasis on embracing credible tools which contribute to achieving sustainability goals and demonstrating outcomes to stakeholder groups.

Ojas joined ASI in February 2023 and is based in Wollongong, near Sydney, Australia. He is a skilled Data Engineer with solid field experience, underpinned by a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Computer Science.

Throughout his career, Ojas has worked with companies ranging from startups to multinational corporations, being chiefly responsible for designing, building, and maintaining complex data infrastructure systems. This enabled him to gain valuable experience in building structured database systems from scratch and working with big data technologies such as Hadoop and Spark.

His solid understanding of the ETL process, data modelling, data warehousing, data analysis, data visualization and strong knowledge of programming languages such as Python and SQL feed his passion for data.

Ojas is of Indian origin and speaks Marathi as his mother tongue. In addition, he is fluent in English and several other Indian native languages, including Hindi, Gujrathi, and Sanskrit. He also has some understanding of the French language.

Penda is based in the United Kingdom and joins ASI as Qualitative Research Manager. She has over ten years of experience working in academia, research, international development, and consultancy on issues at the intersection between, sustainable development, mining, conflict, security, and development.

Before joining ASI, Penda was a Lecturer in sustainable mining at the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, for four years.  Before her academic role, Penda was Senior Resilience Advisor at CARE International-UK, providing technical support and project development assistance on resilience-building projects in various CARE country programmes, including Niger, Nepal, Somaliland, South Sudan, and Haiti. Previously, she was a livelihood and governance advisor, where she worked on natural resource management projects in Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Cameroon. Penda worked as an environmental consultant for AECOM and in research and communications roles for the Conflict, Security and Development Group in King’s College London and Helen Keller Worldwide in Guinea.

Penda’s research work has focused on the role of mining and natural resources in state formation, community mobilization, and community participation processes. Her research has been published in various outlets, including journals, policy briefs, and news analysis and books, including Regime Stability, Social Insecurity and Bauxite Mining in Guinea – Developments Since the Mid-Twentieth Century. Penda’s approach to research is interdisciplinary and she has worked with various stakeholders in the mining industry across different countries.

Penda holds a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh, School of Social and Political Sciences, focusing on the impact of bauxite and diamond mining on development and politics in West Africa. Penda is Fulani and Zerma native speaker who is fluent in French, English, and Sussu.

Rhiannon joined ASI in May 2023 and is based in London. As the Learning Coordinator, she is responsible for supporting ASI’s comprehensive learning programme, which aims to build capacity for members, auditors, and other stakeholders to engage with ASI’s Certification program and drive change.

Rhiannon began her career in teaching and learning and has worked in the education sector for over 17 years. She is passionate about learning and has a wealth of experience in the coordination, implementation, and development of Technology Enhanced Learning.

Drawing upon her teaching experience she has developed a deep understanding of pedagogical models, utilising this to analyse needs and apply different methods to achieve desired learning outcomes with different audiences.

Riley Holcombe is a digital communications professional based in Victoria, Australia. He joined the ASI team in January 2023 as Digital Communications Coordinator. He is responsible for implementing digital communications at ASI, including production of content for the website and other platforms.

With a strong background in digital media, Riley brings a diverse skill set to the team, including expertise in graphic design, video editing, and website management.

Prior to joining ASI, Riley honed his communication skills working in the local government sector. He was responsible for implementing digital communications strategies to deliver effective communications to a range of stakeholders, including community members, business owners, and staff.

Sprina acts as a key contact point for ASI in China and is fluent in Chinese and English. She handles general enquiries and requests about ASI in China and extends ASI’s communications via Chinese translations and updates to ASI’s WeChat account.

She has many years working experience in the aluminium industry, covering information consulting, marketing analysis, trading and administration, etc. In 2013, she joined Sunlight Metal Consulting (Beijing) Co., Ltd. as assistant to the general manager, and has a Masters degree in Management from Massey University in New Zealand.

Thad has been working with ASI since 2013 and is based in Stuttgart, Germany. He is responsible for leading ASI communications activities, including media liaison.

Originally from Canada, Thad has worked over 20 years in various capacities with the United Nations and other international organizations on environmental protection and sustainable development issues, including cleaner production, industrial ecology, life cycle thinking, green building, disaster awareness and preparedness, and sustainable tourism. His work has taken him to duty stations across Canada, USA, France, Turkey and Germany. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Development Economics / Sustainable Development from Dalhousie University. Thad is an English native speaker, is fluent in French and German, with a smattering of Spanish and Turkish on the side.

Tianyi is based in Melbourne, Australia. He is responsible for backend development and user management in elementAL, ASI’s online assurance platform.

Originally from China, Tianyi holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor’s degree in Information System. He has experience performing full-stack development mainly on RESTful APIs and databases. He is fluent in Chinese and English.

Vicky is based in Bonn, Germany. She joined ASI in June 2022 as as Assurance Manager, responsible for supporting the efficiency, effectiveness and integrity of ASI Certification and ASI Auditor Accreditation workflows.

She has almost ten years of experience working in ethical and sustainable certification systems from Fairtrade to Forest Stewardship Council at a global level with experience with standards development and auditing.  She is passionate about sustainability, circularity, and social responsibility in value chains and product certification.

Originally from Melbourne, she holds a Master’s in International Development (Swinburne) and a Bachelor of International Business (RMIT). She is fluent in English with a sprinkle of Vietnamese and German.

Wen joined ASI in September 2023 and is currently based in Beijing, China. As Assurance and Benchmarking Manager, she is responsible for supporting the efficiency, effectiveness and integrity of ASI Certification and ASI Accreditation workflows in a global context. She manages aspects of ASI’s assurance process and contributes to benchmarking assessment and partnership program work.

Wen brings a wealth of commodity experience, with over 10 years of progressive experience in leading the development and communication of market analysis and strategic views. Most recently, Wen served as the Material Sector Lead, China Climate Action at the World Economic Forum, focusing on the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors. Prior to that, Wen was the Director of Alumina Marketing with Alcoa. She co-led an initiative to create Alcoa’s first comprehensive view on carbon emissions pricing, its impact to Alcoa and the aluminum industry over the next decade. She has also previously held roles such as Industry Analysis Manager and Strategy Specialist, coordinating with various stakeholders and presenting deliverables using quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Wen holds a MA in International Policy Studies with an emphasis on International Development from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, as well as a Bachelor of Economics from Dongbei University of Finance and Economics. Wen also holds a PMP certification.