Full name(s) and surname:
Spencer Albert Eckstein
Position:
Chief Operating Officer, Ukwazi Mining Studies Pty Ltd – an independent mining advisory company.
What contribution do you see yourself making to the SAIMM and Council? :
I believe the Council should focus on these are the areas, where I believe I can contribute:
- Building and strengthening the SAIMM as an institution: so that it is efficient, effective, and well-resourced, with a sound operating model and execution capability to deliver on its strategy and mandate
- Skills development: consolidate the existing projects and programs already started to accelerate and deepen existing initiatives
- Increased collaboration between different professional organisations and bodies to deepen industry collaboration around issues such as deindustrialisation, AI, the mining and renewable energy complex
Interactions/activities that you currently participate in within the SAIMM (if applicable):
I am currently a member of the SAIMM. Ukwazi is a corporate partner of the SAIMM and we participate in its conferences and events.
I am currently the head of the ESG work stream, organising the Critical Minerals Conference to be held in Rosebank, planned for 30-31 July 2026
Qualifications:
- BA(Hons) (Wits) – 1990
- LLB (Wits) – 1993
- LLM (UJ) - 1997
- Certificate in Mineral Resources and Reserve Reporting (University of Pretoria) - 2008
- Certificate in Surface Mining and Operational Excellence (University of Pretoria - 2017
- MBA(GIBS) – 2002
- Diploma In Strategy & Innovation (SAID Business School, Oxford) – 2019
Professional Associations:
- Fellow of St Hugh’s College (Oxford)
- Member of SAIMM
- Member of IoDSA
- Admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa
Brief career history:
1994-1996 – Candidate Attorney
1997- 2000 – Practising Attorney: Webber Wentzel (Labour & commercial)
2000 – 2002– Manto Management – public sector consultant
2004 – 2007 – Legal and Commercial Manager, Mafika Group Holdings
2007 – 2009 – Legal and Commercial Manager (Southern & Central Africa), Rio Tinto
2009 – 2010 - Neo Management Consulting – own company
2010 -2017 – Golder Associates/ WSP – Legal & Risk Manager for Canadian mining and engineering company
2017 to date – Chief Operating Officer, Ukwazi – independent mining advisory company
Links to active social media platform
Copy of interview with Modern Mining
Background