Jacob Orbell, Leighton Profke and Sean Macdonald join Xenith

Xenith, a consultancy focused on mining, metals and land, has strengthened its team with three experienced senior professionals.

Appointed Head of the firm’s Resources & Energy practice, Jacob Orbell brings over two decades of experience in the mining and natural resources industry to the consulting firm.

Orbell spent the past ten years at Stanwell, where he latterly was General Manager Mining for the Meandu Mine. Before that, he held roles in engineering and operations at fuel specialist QER, and mining giants BHP and Rio Tinto.

“I have led multidisciplinary teams on many projects throughout my career and I am looking forward to applying this experience to deliver value to Xenith’s extensive client base,” said Orbell on his new challenge.

Troy Turner, Managing Director at Xenith said, “I am very happy we have been able to attract Jacob to join the management team at Xenith. We are building our business with an eye on the future facing commodities, the new carbon economy and of course the ESG needs of our clients and Jacob was a logical choice to manage our consulting teams in Brisbane to deliver technically excellent work.”

Meanwhile, Leighton Profke and Sean Macdonald have been appointed to the positions of Specialist Lead – Land Access and Specialist Lead – Environment.

Pofke spent the past decade at oil company Shell and QER, where he focused on rural property management, land access, and agricultural finance, among others. Turner: “His knowledge of agricultural production systems and the financial and operational drivers underpinning them will be highly valued by clients seeking to procure access to land for their resource or infrastructure projects.”

Macdonald has over a decade of experience in the mining and planning approvals landscape with specific expertise in the costing and development of rehabilitation and closure management plans. He also has experience with environmental offerings, including environmental impact statements, operations due diligence and the implementation of environmental management systems.

“Sean brings a highly prized skill set to our Environment practice,” said Turner.

Founded in 2005, Xenith is an Australian consultancy that delivers consulting, project management and technical projects in the natural resources sector. The firm has about 55 staff operating from offices in Sydney, Brisbane and Hunter Valley.