John Thompson

John Thompson has a BA from Oxford University and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Toronto. In 1982, he joined the BP Minerals group (Rio Tinto) in Australia, followed by moves to the UK and USA. In 1991, John became Director of the Mineral Deposit Research Unit (MDRU) at UBC. He returned to industry in 1998 as Chief Geoscientist for Teck, and subsequently Vice President Technology and Development. In 2012, he left Teck and became the Wold Professor of Environmental Balance for Human Sustainability at Cornell University and Principal, PetraScience Consultants in Vancouver, focused on strategy and technology.

John is a member of the Global Agenda Council on the Future of Mining and Metals (World Economic Forum). He co-founded of Geoscience BC and the Canada Mining Innovation Council. He has board and advisory positions with public and private companies, not-for-profits, and other organizations.