John Thompson has been dividing his time between Cornell University, where he has been the Wold Professor of Environmental Balance for Human Sustainability, and Vancouver, BC where he consults on exploration, mining and sustainability. He has worked in the mining industry and related research for 35 years, including chief geoscientist and vice president of technology and development for Teck Resources, and director of the Mineral Deposit Research Unit at the University of British Columbia. He has had diverse leadership roles in many organizations – as chair for Resources for Future Generations 2018; chair, Genome BC; past-president of the Society of Economic Geologists; co-founder and chair of Geoscience BC; co-founder and chair, of the Canada Mining Innovation Council; and member of two councils for the World Economic Forum. He is on the boards of exploration and technology companies, and advisory groups for venture capital, clean technology and sustainability.