RME appoints General Manager of Engineering, Simon Thompson

RUSSELL MINERAL EQUIPMENT (RME) announces today the appointment of a new General Manager of Engineering, Simon Thompson, ensuring RME continues to provide high-quality equipment and services to its Customers to increase productivity and lower risks.

As a member of RME’s global leadership team, the General Manager of Engineering provides key leadership to support and oversee prototype commercialisation, risk assessment, and project and product optimisation across the business.

Mr Thompson brings more than a decade of experience in the mining machinery original equipment manufacturer sector, including an oil and gas services company.

Most recently, Mr Thompson was RME’s Global Engineering Manager for Asset Support where he successfully championed the delivery of world-class engineering support for the upgrading and sustainment of RME Mill Relining Machines and technologies in service around the world.

RME Founder, Executive Chairman and Chief Engineer on the company’s Chief Executive Team, Dr John Russell described Mr Thompson as an energetic and engaging leader, and highly competent mechanical engineer.

“We are delighted to announce Simon’s appointment following a comprehensive global search. Simon is an incredibly valued member of RME. He brings innovation, pragmatism and intellect in support of RME’s Customers, designs, processes and systems,” Dr Russell said.

“In addition to being an excellent engineer, Simon is also a dynamic, accessible and compelling leader. These traits were key to his selection for this new role, in support of RME’s values and culture, as well as the role’s responsibility to develop the imaginations and careers of RME’s engineers.

“For 38 years RME has made enormous investments in the design, manufacture and supply of grinding mill relining technologies and services. We have an unwavering commitment to improving the safety and performance of our Customers’ operations, the safety and development of our employees, the creation of local jobs, and the betterment of the communities in which we operate.”

Dr Peter Rubie, who serves as Director of the RME Holdings Board and held the role of Chief Engineer until 2019, played a key role in RME’s global search for its new General Manager of Engineering.

“Simon’s appointment will ensure RME builds on an exemplary track record as a model Australian technology manufacturing and services company, and employer whose innovations have made mill relining more efficient and safer around the world,” Dr Rubie said.

Mr Thompson said, "I joined RME to work with an ambitious, strategically-minded business with a passion for innovation and excellence. It’s a company with both the willingness and capacity to cater for those that thrive on making positive change.

RME is proud of the compassionate and empathetic culture built as an engineering cohort. This is what drives them to continually optimise the safety of our Customers’ mineral processing operations, deliver innovative solutions for new products, and constantly improve our machines in the field.

Mr Thompson’s appointment follows a global search to fill the position supported by renowned global recruiter, Korn Ferry.

Mr Thompson holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering with First Class Honours from the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ), where he also received the Frederick Barnes Waldron Award for attaining the highest overall achievement in the course.

Mr Thompson is an active industry representative on UniSQ’s Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering Advisory Committee, a Member of the Institution of Engineers Australia (MIEAust), a Registered Professional Engineer of Professionals Australia (RPEng), and a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ). Mr Thompson is a named inventor and co-inventor on a number of mechanical device patents.

About RUSSELL MINERAL EQUIPMENT

RUSSELL MINERAL EQUIPMENT (RME) is the world’s leading Mill Relining Systems Technology supplier. We invent machine systems and service-based solutions for problems encountered in the world’s mining and mineral processing industries. Our technologies deliver short shutdowns, high mill availability and safe working environments. Established in 1985, RME has grown to operate in 64 countries, has 12 international Sales and Service Centres and employs more than 450 people worldwide.