2026 Lifetime Achievement Award
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Trent Tempel ​
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​Trent Tempel retired from Newmont Mining Corporation in July 2017 as Regional
Senior Vice-President Operations South America. Trent worked for Newmont for 33-1/2
years, joining the company in 1984 as a Process Metallurgist at the original Carlin #1
Mill. Trent holds a Bachelor of Science degree in metallurgical engineering from
Michigan Technological University.
Trent’s first job was in the metallurgical lab supporting the mill and carbon handling
operations. By 1985 Newmont’s project and development work accelerated along the
Carlin Trend. Key roles held over the subsequent 20 years included:
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• Process Metallurgist and Relief Mill Foreman (1984-1989): Performed
metallurgical development work for new gold deposits and a novel flash
chlorination process for refractory carbonaceous ores. Trent also worked a lot of
graveyard shifts covering for vacationing mill foremen during this time.
• General Foreman North Area Operations (1989-1990): Responsible for
operations at Mill #1 and the North Area Leach Facility.
• Refinery Superintendent (1990-1992): Responsible for the centralized carbon
handling & gold refining facilities.
• Process Superintendent I (1992-1994): In 1992, was transferred to the Project
Engineering Group for the Carlin Roaster Project. Worked in this role through the
detailed engineering phase of the project, spending time at both the Lurgi
(Germany) and Bechtel (San Francisco) offices.
• Process Superintendent II (1994-1995): Responsible for the start-up and
operation of the Carlin Roaster.
• Manager of Milling (1995-1997): Responsible for all mill facilities on Newmont’s
Carlin Trend.
• General Manager, Twin Creeks (1997-2000): Responsible for the Twin Creeks
Mine immediately following the merger between Newmont and Santa Fe Pacific
Gold Corp.
• General Manager, Carlin Trend Operations (2000-2004): Responsible for all
aspects of the Carlin Operations.
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In 2002 Newmont acquired Normandy Mining, an Australian company with a worldwide
portfolio of projects and operations. Two years later Trent volunteered to go to Africa;
the start of a 13-1/2 year international adventure.
• General Manager & Project Owners Representative (2004-2006): Akyem
Project, Ghana West Africa.
• Group Executive – Africa Operations (2006-2008): Responsible for Operations
and Security for both the Ahafo and Akyem projects. Ahafo was an operating
mine by this time while Akyem was still in development.
• Owners Manager – Conga Project Peru (2008-2009): Responsible for owner’s
activities for the Conga Project.
• Group Executive Peru Operations (2009-2013): Responsible for Yanacocha
operations and the Conga Project.
• General Manager – Operations (2013-2014): Responsible for the Batu Hijau
copper mine in Indonesia.
• Regional Senior Vice President South America Operations (2014-2017):
Responsible for all Newmont projects and operations in South America. Including
the Merian Mine in Suriname which was constructed during this period.
PUBLICATIONS
• Authored and presented a technical paper titled, “Newmont Gold Company
Refractory Ore Plant, Selection of a Dry Grinding Process” at the 1993 SME
annual meeting.
• Co-authored and presented a technical paper titled “Comparison of AARL and
Zadra Elution at Carlin” at the 1990 Randol Gold Forum.
• Co-authored a manuscript titled, “Geology and Process Mineralogy of the
Genesis Gold Deposit” in Process Mineralogy VII (1988), a publication of the
Metallurgical Society of AIME.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
• Licensed Technical Mine Manager (Indonesia).
• Past Chairman of the Board for the Nevada Mining Association. Served 3 years
on NMA board of directors.
• Former Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME).​​​​​​​​​​​​​