Mr. Weir brings nearly two decades of operational, technical, and expert advisory experience, deepening Secretariat’s industry expertise across complex mining matters and disputes worldwide. 

Secretariat is pleased to welcome noted mining engineering expert Ian Weir as a Managing Director in the firm’s Toronto office. A registered Professional Engineer with nearly 20 years of industry experience, Mr. Weir advises global clients and counsel on the technical, operational, and economic issues pertaining to complex mining projects and disputes. 

Mr. Weir brings hands-on experience in open-pit copper and gold mining operations in Northern Chile and Nevada (USA). His areas of expertise include mine planning, mine development, project evaluation and financial modeling, capital budget planning and operating cost forecasts, open-pit mine engineering, mineral reserves, and business development. Mr. Weir has gained extensive experience conducting due diligence reviews, mineral reserve audits, Independent Engineer reviews, technical evaluations, and economic studies at the scoping, preliminary economic assessment (PEA), and pre-feasibility study (PFS) levels. His work has spanned a variety of commodities and jurisdictions around the world. 

Mr. Weir is also an experienced mining expert who has worked on international mining arbitration matters involving operating mines and development-stage projects across five continents.  

Drawing on this applied operational experience and deep technical expertise, Mr. Weir helps global clients and counsel assess whether the mine plans, costs, production forecasts, and other assumptions underlying complex mining investments and disputes are technically sound. 

Reflecting on Mr. Weir’s appointment, Managing Director Eric Guyer shared, “Ian’s experience connects the realities of mine planning and operations with the technical and economic questions that often drive complex mining disputes. His expertise will complement the work of Secretariat’s engineering, damages, valuation, and arbitration professionals, helping us provide clients and counsel with a more complete understanding of the issues underlying these matters.” 

Earlier in his career, Mr. Weir held mining engineering roles involving long-term planning, business analysis, mine development, production, safety, dispatch, and operational start-up. In one role, he supervised a 45-person mine operations team and coordinated with short-term planning and maintenance functions. This operational background continues to inform his evaluation of mine plans, project assumptions, operating performance, and technical evidence. 

Mr. Weir earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mining Engineering from Queen’s University and previously served as a co-teacher at the University of Toronto’s Lassonde Institute for Mineral Engineering, assisting with a 4th mine design course.  Mr. Weir has also been an active contributor to the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) providing short courses in Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserve Best Practices.  He is fluent in English and Spanish.