This article is part of a seven-part series featuring NC alumni who are finalists for this year’s Ontario Premier’s Awards. Mauro DelleMonache (Electronics Engineering Technical, 1996) has been nominated in the Science, Technology and Engineering category.
Seldom do people have the kind of global impact that distinguishes the career of Mauro DelleMonache.
A 1966 graduate from Niagara’s Electronics Engineering Technology program, the Welland native is an international leader in helping mining companies become more environmentally sustainable, efficient and productive.
DelleMonache is CEO of Paris-based Geovia, which is a brand of Dessault Systéms, and one of the world’s largest suppliers of mining software. Supporting some 300,000 customers in over 135 countries, Geovia helps resource industries reduce carbon emissions and waste by doing exploration virtually through software.
A perceptive thinker who aligns technologies with engineering needs and business efficiencies, DelleMonache visualizes how software can transform and improve the resource industry’s practices and profitability.
DelleMonache said NC’s exceptional teachers, state-of-the-art equipment, and industry-networked internships got his career launched, and still gives him an advantage today.
“That original grounding has helped me feel comfortable going into this job, making the best use of the kinds of tools and technologies that a global organization has at its disposal,” he said.
“The College provided an excellent foundation regarding where technology was at the time, and where it was going. Niagara’s high-quality instructors made us get accustomed to constantly thinking in terms of what is possible with leading-edge technologies.”
Before he even graduated, DelleMonache was offered a full-time job by a Burlington microchip producer where he had been serving an apprenticeship. However, Rockwell Automation — the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation — simultaneously offered him a position at its marquee facility in Cambridge, Mass.
For DelleMonache, it was a start of a global odyssey.
After several years at Rockwell sites around North America, he transferred to the company’s Australia operations in 2008, taking in a succession of management positions. DelleMonache caught the attention of senior officials for overhauling the company’s distribution network, surpassing revenue targets and helping expand Rockwell’s global presence in the mining and petroleum sectors.
His career has often been characterized by being hired away by major companies who are always on the lookout for world-class leaders.
In 2015, DelleMonache was recruited by Schneider Electric Industrial Automation (Australia), eventually becoming its Vice-President, Industry & Business for the Pacific Region. He led more than 200 people in helping resource companies use digitization, automation and clean energy technology to improve their decarbonization, efficiency and sustainability.
Then, in 2022, DelleMonache was hired by industry leader Geovia, where today he oversees teams of geoscientists, engineers and urban planners who help mining companies balance economic, environmental and social considerations to support responsible development of the Earth’s resources.
DelleMonache is based at Geovia’s head office in France, but constantly travels to support clients on nearly every continent. He has had particularly extensive experience in many parts of Asia.
He noted that the mining industry has always faced environmental challenges but is evolving its methods as new technologies create possibilities for smarter operating practices.
“Our first goal is always to reduce emissions and waste, for instance optimizing your heavy equipment and fleet by using software to design the best possible mining production schedule,” he said.
“In mining, environmental sustainability has become as high a priority as safety.”
