Jacques is a geologist with 25 years of experience in both academia and the mineral resources industry, specialising in geochemistry and economic geology. He began his career as a field geologist in the Central Africa Copperbelt, where he focused on the stratigraphy and mineralisation of the Katanga Supergroup while also lecturing at the University of Lubumbashi. Currently, he serves as an associate professor at the university and teaches courses on mineral exploration.

Jacques has explored copper (Cu) and gold (Au) deposits in Australia, including porphyry Cu-Au systems, and has developed expertise in geochemical targeting and geophysical interpretation. During his time at Rio Tinto Exploration, he supported global teams focused on sediment-hosted copper, porphyry copper, nickel-copper, and other commodities. Later, as a principal geoscientist at the Geological Survey of Queensland, he concentrated on critical metals. He served as a lead geochemist supporting Fortescue Metals Group exploration teams for various projects, including copper porphyry, sediment-hosted copper, iron ore, IOCG, lithium, and gold, among others. Jacques has also worked as a principal consultant in the Democratic Republic of Congo and currently leads our Cu-Ag exploration in Botswana’s Kalahari Copperbelt Project.