Scott McCowan

Career and experience

Scott McCowan serves as Executive Group Director for Akaliko Workforce and Technical Services (AWTS). He leads the platform’s development of workforce, training and technical service capabilities, connecting customer requirements with skilled people and practical support for mining operations.

Scott has served as Director of Alpha Quartz in Mongolia since 2012. His work includes heavy mobile equipment shutdowns on Oyu Tolgoi shovels and drills, construction consultancy for FLSmidth projects in Mongolia, Mauritania and Morocco, and national recruitment and training programmes for new businesses and projects. Previously, as Superintendent Training Concentrator at Oyu Tolgoi, he developed operations and maintenance curricula, supported recruitment and helped place 300 trainees into pre-operation apprenticeship programmes.

His international mining career includes maintenance and construction roles with Barrick Gold in Western Australia, Anatolia Minerals in Turkey, Freeport Indonesia and Newmont at Batu Hijau. At Freeport, he also led mechanical training for 2,500 tradespeople across business units, developing curricula and on-the-job training for fixed and mobile equipment mechanics and welders.

Earlier roles with Metso Minerals and G&S Engineering covered field service, equipment refurbishment, maintenance coordination and shutdown support. Scott began his mining career in coal handling operations and maintenance at Goonyella and Riverside, later serving as an operations supervisor. He studied rural engineering at Australian Agriculture College. This combination of operational, technical and workforce-development experience informs his leadership of AWTS.

Capabilities they lead

• Workforce & technical services