2025 Trailblazer Award Winners
Trailblazer Award
Ingrid is a 30+ year mining industry veteran, gold explorer and ethical mining champion having served 27 years as an international mining executive across 11 publicly traded Canadian companies. Her three decades of experience cover all facets of the mineral resources industry, from early-stage exploration, mine development, and production to capital raising and law. Notable achievements include negotiating the acquisition of the Detour gold mine property for Pelangio-Larder Mines and helping found Detour Gold Corporation, a Canadian gold mining company which attained a market capitalization in excess of $5 billion. As CEO of Pelangio Exploration Inc, she negotiated the acquisition of a district size land package in Ghana, adjacent and on strike with the 70 million ounce Obuasi Mine owned by AngloGold Ashanti. She also negotiated the acquisition of the 100 square kilometer Manfo property on the Sefwi Belt in Ghana where exploration to date has resulted in multiple discoveries and a maiden gold resource estimate. Beyond her CEO roles, Ingrid has been an independent director and board advisor on numerous corporate boards chairing Compensation, Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance Committees. Prior to her stewardship of public companies, her career in mining began in corporate and securities law services clients ranging from multinational mining operators to mineral resource explorers and individual prospectors.
Ingrid was nominated by Michele Ashby.
Indigenous Trailblazer Award
Caroline is a dedicated professional with over 7.5 years of experience at Mount Milligan Mine (Centerra Gold) near Prince George, BC. A proud member of the Nakaz’dli Whut’en Band, the mine sits on her family’s traditional keyoh (trapline), deepening her connection to the land. Though her background was not originally in mining, Caroline’s enthusiasm and eagerness to learn allowed her to quickly adapt and thrive in the industry. Starting as a Junior Environmental Monitor, Caroline worked her way up to become a full-time Environmental Technician, gaining valuable experience along the way. She is also passionate about empowering women, particularly mentoring young female workers and helping them realize they can achieve anything through self-belief. As her confidence has grown, Caroline has become actively involved in Mine Rescue and the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC) to ensure safety remains a top priority. Her commitment to the land led her to join the Returning Land Use Plan as a representative for her family, serving as a voice for her community outside her role at the mine. With a passion for learning, mentoring, and making a positive impact in both her workplace and community, Caroline is an asset to her team, continuing to thrive as a skilled and compassionate professional in the mining industry.
Caroline was nominated by Daphne Hall.
Indigenous Student Trailblazer Award
Sponsored by Sprott
Hannah Eaton-Tessier is a master’s student in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Toronto. Hannah grew up in Northwestern Ontario and is a part of the Moose Cree First Nations band. Growing up surrounded by nature, she has always held deep respect and appreciation for the environment and natural world around her. This love of nature carried into her bachelor’s degree, receiving an Honours Bachelor of Science in Geosciences and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of Toronto. Following the completion of her bachelor’s degree, Hannah was contracted as an assistant geologist with Equity Exploration at the Madsen Mine in Madsen, Ontario. Working directly with the rocks, she developed a hands-on understanding of the daily operations of an active mine site and the geology and deposits in the Red Lake region in Northwestern Ontario. Hannah is now advancing her academic career, returning to University of Toronto for a Master of Science. Supervised by Daniel Gregory, Hannah is researching the geochemistry of pyrite in gold deposits across Northwestern Ontario. In the future, Hannah hopes to use her background in geology and ecology to help build a sustainable future for the mining industry.
Hannah was nominated by Daniel Gregory.
Student Trailblazer Award
Sponsored by Dundee Precious Metals
Rebecca is currently in between her third year and final year at the Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining at Queen’s Engineering in the mineral processing stream. She is currently completing a 12-month work term at Kinross Gold, spending time between the Toronto Office, where she completed a 4-month internship in the summer of 2023, and Fort Knox Alaska, working on the Manh Choh commissioning project. Rebecca is an active member of extracurriculars at Queen’s where she held the position of Vice-President of the Queen’s Mining Society and Co-Chair of the Queen’s Conference on Business and Mining in 2024. She has also supported organisations such as MetSoc and the Queen’s Engineering Society and is a member of the 2024 and 2025 Queen’s Canadian Mining Games Teams. Rebecca is passionate about pursuing a career in Mining and Mineral Processing, especially at a time when the mining industry is supporting and encouraging young minds to strive for change. She looks forward to her career and hopes to combine innovation and ambition to make an impact in the industry.
Rick Hutson Mentorship Award
Tânia Martins obtained her PhD in Geology in 2009 from the University of Porto (Portugal) studying Li-Sn-Nb-Ta mineralization in granitic pegmatites. In 2010-2011 Tânia was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Manitoba, Canada focusing on the mineralogy of alkaline rocks and carbonatites. Tânia joined the Manitoba Geological Survey in 2011 focusing her attention on geological mapping at various scales, tectonic interpretations and critical mineral systems. Since 2023 she has been Chief Geologist at the Precambrian Geoscience section. Dr. Martins has been active in her field of expertise leading to the development of an extensive network of academic collaborations in Canada and internationally. Dr. Martins holds the position of Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan and Department of Earth Sciences at the University of New Brunswick. Tânia has been active with the Mineralogical Association of Canada sitting as council member and their Short Course volume editor, the Geological Association of Canada as president of the Manitoba Section. Internationally she has been involved with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe as part of their Minerals Expert Group and serving as president of the International Association on the Genesis of Ore Deposits.
Tânia was nominated by Aaryn Hutchins.
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