New appointments to drive the scale up of the Institute, including implementing an audit and certification process for tailings safety
Johannesburg, 2 February 2026 – The Global Tailings Management Institute (GTMI), an independent organisation dedicated to improving the safety of mine tailings facilities worldwide, today announced two important milestones with the appointment of its Chief Executive Officer, Ed Toms, and the establishment of a Technical Committee.
Both announcements follow a thorough process of review and selection led by the GTMI’s Board of Directors, with support from its co-founders.
Introducing the Inaugural CEO
Engineering and sustainability leader, Ed Toms, will spearhead the GTMI’s five-year strategy to scale the organisation and create sustainable change across mine tailings facilities globally. He brings more than 40 years of experience advancing complex organisations and delivering high-consequence infrastructure programmes that strengthen resilience and sustainability across the energy, water, and mining sectors. He is known for building high performance teams, and turning strategy into measurable outcomes by aligning governance, finance, risk, and operations to deliver safe, resilient, and community-positive results.
Toms is the founder of Journey Engineering LLC and a senior executive with decades of experience in mining, dams, and critical infrastructure. He’s held several leadership roles in global professional services and project delivery organisations. He serves on the board of the United States Society on Dams (USSD) and contributes to various committees focused on DEI, climate resilience, workforce development, and inclusive stakeholder engagement.
“It is an honour to lead the Global Tailings Management Institute as its first CEO. The establishment of this Institute serves as a critical turning point for responsible tailings management. The GTMI will help ensure that the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) is widely implemented across facilities globally and supported by a robust assurance framework. As the inaugural CEO, I’m looking forward to ramping up the Institute’s core activities, helping to appoint qualified auditors, and welcoming Signatories and Supporters,” says Ed Toms, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Tailings Management Institute.
Toms will provide strategic leadership and direction to the global organisation. He will represent the GTMI in its engagement with the international mining community, employees, board members, businesses, civil society organisations, non-profit organisations, governments, local communities and the wider public. He will report to the GTMI Board of Directors.
GTMI Technical Committee
Another significant development is the formation of the first GTMI Technical Committee, which will oversee all technical matters related to the audit and certification process, including accreditation and training programmes. The committee includes board members and other technical experts, and is supported by acting Chief Technical Officer and Board Member, Janis Shandro.
The committee will oversee the development of conformance audit protocols, provide guidance on the interpretation of any aspect of the GISTM, periodically advise the board on whether the Standard remains fit for purpose, and act in an advisory capacity on any other technical issues.
The GTMI welcomes the following experts to its Technical Committee:
- Vicente Mello – GTMI Deputy Chair and Senior Vice President at AECOM
- Janis Shandro – GTMI Acting Chief Technical Officer, Board Member, and Owner/Managing Director at Arrowsmith Gold Inc.
- Jeronimo Covacevich – GTMI Technical Committee Chair, Board Member, and Tailings Subject Matter Expert at ICMM
- David Cooling – Private Consultant and Geotechnical/Tailings Engineer
- Theo Gerritsen – Principal Tailings Engineer at BGC Engineering
- Naomi Hodgkinson-Lee – Senior Risk Engineer at Zurich Resilience Solutions
- Kristin Pouw – Principal of Water & Waste at Newmont Corporation
“The appointments of the CEO and Technical Committee are two crucial milestones for the GTMI, as years of preparation and groundwork will now begin to bear fruit,” says Mark Cutifani, Board Chair of the Global Tailings Management Institute.
“A full-time leader ensures the Institute can deliver on its long-term strategy and vision for the responsible management of tailings facilities across their entire lifecycle. Ed’s deep expertise in high-consequence infrastructure, together with his experience working with diverse stakeholders, will position the Institute for success. In parallel, the Technical Committee brings a powerful mix of strategic insight, technical depth and industry perspective, providing the rigor and credibility required for a robust audit and certification process.”
Next steps: Signatories and Supporters
Once an assurance framework and a database of independent third-party auditors have been established, the GTMI will invite mining companies and government owned enterprises with operational responsibility for tailings facilities, to become Signatories. Signatories will commit to implementing and conforming with the GISTM, undergoing independent auditing and certification, continuously improving their tailings management practices, and publicly disclosing information about their facilities and auditing outcomes.
Interested stakeholders without operational responsibility for tailings facilities will be invited to become Supporters – to share expertise, host or attend roundtables, and participate in other collaborative efforts to improve tailings management.
Learn more about Ed Toms: https://thegtmi.org/our-people/#ed-toms
Learn more about the Technical Committee: https://thegtmi.org/technical-commitee/
Become an Auditor: https://thegtmi.org/auditing/
Become a Signatory: thegtmi.org/signatories/
Become a Supporter: thegtmi.org/supporters/
ENDS
About the Global Tailings Management Institute
The Global Tailings Management Institute (GTMI) is an independent, multi-stakeholder governed organisation, established to promote widespread adoption and implementation of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM). The GISTM requires mining operators to take responsibility and prioritise the safety of tailings facilities, and the GTMI is responsible for managing the assurance framework through which tailings facilities will be audited and certified against this Standard, by qualified, independent third party assessors.
The GTMI was co-founded by ICMM, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The first priority of the GTMI is to manage an assurance framework for GISTM, supported by efforts to drive awareness, share knowledge, and disclose auditing outcomes. Its goal is to achieve zero harm to people and the environment, with zero tolerance for human fatality.
Press Contact
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