Dr John Groom will be inducted into the International Mining Technology Hall of Fame in the Environmental Management and Stewardship category at the gala awards dinner in Denver on February 20th, during SME Conference week. John Groom has been heavily involved in international mining activities since the beginning of his professional career. Throughout, he has worked to strengthen mining’s approach to addressing safety-, health-, environmental- and sustainability-related issues across the full mine and materials life cycles.

In 1991 he was a founding member of the International Council on Mining and the Environment (ICME) the first international body created by the mining industry to address environmental concerns. During the period 1999 – 2002 he played a key leadership role in the Global Mining Initiative (GMI) which had as its centre piece activity, the initiative, Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD). Throughout the GMI, John served as the Anglo American “sherpa” at the right hand of the Anglo American CEO. He was also the Sherpa responsible for the entire speaker program for the 2002 Toronto conference “Resourcing the Future”. As a result of GMI, ICME was transformed in 2001 to become the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) with its leadership focus on practical, progressive, and rigorous application of sustainability ideas in the mining industry.

Also during this period, John played active roles in the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, the Johannesburg 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, the World Bank’s Extractive Industries Review (2002 – 2004), the International Finance Corporation’s review of its safeguard policies and development of their leading edge performance standards, and development of the Financial Services Sector’s Equator Principles.

Through his ongoing engagement with ICMM, John has played a leading role in ICMM’s Resource Endowment (RE) – Mining Partnerships for Development initiative which is focussed on innovative and collaborative approaches to strengthening mining contribution in developing countries. In particular he chaired the Resource Endowment working group for 5 years from its inception. For a six month period he was seconded by Anglo American to ICMM to serve as Chief Operating Officer in which role he effectively bridged a leadership change within ICMM.

Over the past 20 years he has also played major contributing roles with Eurometaux, Euromines, the REACH process (a European Union regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals), and the Coal Industry Advisory Board. In the latter he chaired the Associates working group for 19 months.

John is a Past President of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy (1995/6), and in 2009 was elected to the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering.

In other industry related roles John was Chairman of the Camborne School of Mines Trust for eight years from 1999 – 2007 and remains a Trustee. He has also been a member of the Court of Imperial College and served for eight years on their Health and Safety Committee. This was succeeded by membership of the College’s Risk Committee from its inception until mid-2016. John was the external examiner for Imperial College’s M. Sc. program in Minerals and Energy Finance.

Lastly, throughout his rich career, John has continually taken on a special mentoring role to creative and energetic, young men and women, encouraging them to play a leadership role – particularly in the areas related to environment and sustainable development – opening their eyes to long-term careers that would bring constructive change and improvement to the mining and metals industry.