The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) has sworn in William Joughin as the new president for 2023/2024. The SAIMM announced the new president for the Institute at the Annual General Meeting which was held at the Johannesburg Country Club in Woodmead on Thursday 17 August 2023

William started working for Anglo American Gold Division as a mining graduate. William then transferred to the rock engineering department, where he discovered his real passion.  He was seconded to integrated Seismic Systems International (now the Institute of Mine Seismology) to learn about mine seismic networks and rockburst management.  He worked as a mine seismologist and a rock engineer for the next five years, on President Steyn no. 4 shaft (now Bambanani), then on Vaal Reefs no. 8 shaft (now Great Noligwa), Libanon, and Kloof gold mines.  During this time, he completed his MSc Eng and -a GDE in Rock Engineering, as well as the Chamber of Mines Rock Mechanics Certificate, Advanced Rock Engineering Certificate, and Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competency.

William is fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit and provide consulting services for mines in 18 countries on six continents.  He currently serves on rockburst management advisory boards for El Teniente, Chile and Kiruna, Sweden.

William has published over 50 articles on rock engineering and is the recipient of an SAIMM gold medal and the Alec Wilson Award (SANCOT) for outstanding papers. He has co-written two chapters on risk-based design in the book Ground Support in Underground Mines (Potvin and Hadjigeorgiou, 2020) produced by the Australian Centre for Geomechanics.

William is a Past President of the South African National Institute of Rock Engineering (SANIRE), and a Past Vice President for Africa of the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM).

He joined the SAIMM as a student and has been a Council member since 2008.  William has chaired three international rock engineering conferences and two schools as joint SAIMM and SANIRE events.  He is a member of the Publications Committee and served as Treasurer from 2020.

William’s presidential address focused on ‘Managing geotechnical uncertainty and risk in mining.”