Oliver Hamann

Current Employer/Organisation Name

Antofagasta plc

What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?

When I returned from my MSc in mining engineering at the University of Exeter (Camborne School of Mines) I worked on the field in a mining company for almost 3 years. Last year in 2020 I was promoted to the corporate centre to the health and safety department as a senior engineer and have been working in several improvement project as well as managing the covid pandemic to maintain operational continuity.

Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?

Chile´s most important economic activity is mining, therefore there are a lot of opportunities and stability in this business. What I enjoy most is the variety of people you get to work with, with different backgrounds and experience. Even though there are thousands of people working here, you can still make an impact with projects.

What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?

I enjoyed the practical aspect of the programme, and what I enjoyed the most was performing geotechnical surveys in the underground mine the University has.

What did you enjoy most about studying here?

I really liked the campus and the ease with which one could approach lecturers to ask questions and resolve doubts. All the lecturers have a lot of experience both academically as well as in the mining industry and that gives a lot of confidence and motivation during the program. I really liked that the teaching methodology which is very practical and complements very well with the theoretical part. Leaving the MSc you have the immediate ability to work in the field.

Why did you choose to study at Exeter?

I also wanted to live the experience of studying in Europe, and this was the only pure mining programme in all of England. The University also has great lecturers and facilities such as labs and an underground mine to put in practice what we learned.

What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?

Adaptation.

What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?

You have to show a lot of resilience in this industry to prepare and adapt to changes.

What are your plans for the future?

I would like to do my own business in parallel to my current job, but always linked to the mining industry.