3 - 4 September 2009

Sheraton Perth Hotel, WA

Mike Woodborne
Managing Director
Bonaparte Diamond Mines NL

Mike Woodborne is an M.Sc. graduate in Geology from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and has been involved in the diamond exploration and mining industry for more than 20 years. He has specialist knowledge of marine exploration mining and technologies related to diamond placer deposits as well as marine geophysics. His management experience includes senior positions in both private and corporate companies in the resource industry.

He spent 7 years in the Marine Geoscience Unit of the Geological Survey of South Africa where his work on the evolution of the diamondiferous placer deposits on the west coast of Southern Africa was the subject of his M.Sc. thesis in 1986. In 1990 he co-founded an independent consulting firm, Marine & Coastal Geo-Consultants (Pty) Ltd. This company was responsible for compiling independent expert reports and also directed several key exploration and technical projects that resulted the discovery of new marine diamond deposits and the subsequent development of underwater mining operations.

In 1999, he was appointed as Exploration Director for Namco South Africa (Pty) Ltd, where he was involved with establishment and operation of a dedicated prospecting vessel as well as resource development for the offshore mining operations. In 2002, he took up a position in Perth with a survey company providing services to the oil and gas industry, prior to joining Bonaparte as CEO in June 2004. Mr Woodborne was appointed Managing Director of Bonaparte in September 2004.