Based in Brisbane, Tao has been part of Deswik’s journey for nearly a decade, playing a key role in shaping how we approach innovation. His work ensures that every solution we deliver is practical, customer-led, and informed by real-world mining challenges.
From driving continuous improvement to challenging the status quo in mining technology, Tao’s leadership reflects our commitment to evolving with the industry and empowering operations worldwide. Read on to learn more about Tao's innovation journey and get his take on the future of mining technology.
How do you introduce yourself at a BBQ? I usually say I work in mining technology, helping people solve tricky planning problems with maths and software. Most people don’t expect “optimization” to come up between sausages and potato salad, so I try to relate it to something familiar, like the chaos of scheduling construction tasks for a builder. If that example connects, or they are curious to learn, the conversation takes off pretty quickly.
What motivates you in your work? I love the moment when a complex problem finally clicks into place and a customer sees a clear path forward. That spark of understanding is addictive. It keeps me curious and pushes me to keep improving.
How do you like to spend your time outside the office? Most of my time is spent with my young family, who keep me busy and remind me that there is always more to learn. When I get a bit of quiet time, I like tinkering with personal software projects or watching documentaries, especially the ones that follow athletes or people performing at the very top of their game. I’m also heading to my first F1 race later in the year.
Your Journey at Deswik
So how did you end up working in mining tech? I’ve always enjoyed solving complicated problems with maths and technology. That interest turned into a degree in management science and operations research, which pretty much set the direction for everything that followed.
After graduating, I moved from New Zealand to Australia and joined a simulation consulting company. That was my first real introduction to mining, building detailed models of supply chains and ports. Later I spent a year in Rio Tinto’s Excellence Centre working on the Mine of the Future program. It was a great experience and a chance to work with people who were genuinely pushing the boundaries of innovation and productivity.
About ten years ago, I joined Polymathian because they were building cloud‑first optimization products using industrial mathematics. It felt ahead of its time, and I wanted to be part of it. I helped grow the company from a startup into a multi‑product business, built customer‑driven tools, led agile teams, mentored consultants and even squeezed in an MBA. It was a busy but incredibly rewarding chapter.
When Polymathian joined Deswik in 2023, the culture alignment was obvious. Both companies love tackling tough planning and scheduling problems and doing it with curiosity and creativity. At Deswik, my Product Manager role let me work across the full product lifecycle and collaborate with teams all over the business. Now, as Innovation Lead, I get to bring all of that experience together and focus on what comes next.
Innovation at Deswik
How would you describe Deswik’s approach to innovation in mining technology? Deswik takes a very practical, problem-solving approach to innovation. We focus on building tools that genuinely solve the challenges mining professionals deal with every day. A lot of that comes from staying close to our customers and understanding what actually makes a difference for them.
Our innovation style is iterative, and user driven. We listen, prototype, test and refine.
As new technologies emerge and mining operations evolve, we adapt our software to match. We care about improving decision making across the whole planning process, so we’re always looking for ways to make workflows smoother and more connected. It’s a grounded and collaborative approach, and I think that’s why it works so well.
What innovation processes does Deswik have in place? I can’t share every detail, but our approach is very collaborative and grounded in real industry needs. Our product teams and consultants spend a lot of time with clients, partners and domain experts, so new ideas often come straight from the people who feel the pain points every day.
From there, we run concepts through a staged process that looks at technical feasibility, value to the mining ecosystem and alignment with our long-term product vision. Deswik Labs plays a big role by giving us a space to rapidly prototype promising ideas. Our first large scale hackathon also brought out fresh thinking from across the business.
What does “continuous innovation” mean to you, and how do you see it reflected in our products and processes? For me, continuous innovation means always looking for a better way to do things. No product or process is ever really finished. There’s always something we can refine or rethink. It comes from staying curious, listening to customers and being thoughtful about where new technology actually adds value.
At Deswik, you can see this mindset everywhere. We iterate quickly, we work closely across teams, and we constantly refine our tools based on what we hear from users. Our products evolve all the time, and our processes encourage experimentation and learning.
Customer Led Development
How do you ensure that innovation at Deswik remains customer focused and grounded in real world mining challenges? Keeping innovation customer focused starts with acknowledging that I don’t know every operational challenge. That’s why I rely heavily on the deep expertise across Deswik. Our consultants, product managers and support teams work closely with sites, so they have a clear view of what’s happening on the ground.
We stay close to users in a few ways. Direct conversations with customers are a big part of it, but we also learn a lot from the Ideas Portal, support tickets and project insights. Together, these give us a clear picture of the biggest pain points and opportunities. From there, we validate ideas early through prototypes, feedback loops and honest discussions about whether something solves a problem at scale.
When prioritizing, I focus on solutions that deliver measurable operational value rather than interesting tech for the sake of it. By combining client insight with rapid experimentation and cross functional collaboration, we keep our innovation grounded in the practical realities of mine planning, scheduling and optimization.
Can you share an example of a feature or solution that originated from customer feedback and became a gamechanger? A great example is Deswik NOVA, which we released late last year. Customers had been telling us they wanted a more seamless open pit planning experience. They were using several powerful Deswik tools, but they wanted everything to come together in one place.
NOVA was built in direct response to that feedback. It brings mine scheduling, blending and haulage optimization into a single guided workflow. Instead of jumping between products, users can plan an entire open pit operation in one environment. It has been a real step forward and shows how valuable client input is when shaping our roadmap.
Looking Ahead
What excites you most about the future of mining technology and Deswik’s role in it? What excites me most is how quickly the industry is moving toward data driven, automated and optimization led decision making. We’re at a point where automation, cloud computing, AI and advanced optimisation are genuinely changing how mines plan, operate and make decisions.
Deswik is in a great position to help lead that shift. We have strong domain expertise, a solid technology stack and a culture that loves exploring new ideas. That combination lets us take emerging technologies and turn them into practical tools that make a real difference on site.
For me, the exciting part is helping shape the next generation of mining software. I want it to be more integrated, more intelligent and more useful for the people who rely on it every day. That’s what keeps me motivated.
If you could describe Deswik’s innovation culture in three words, what would they be? Curious. Collaborative. Relentless.
Any final thoughts? I’m always keen to connect. If you want to chat or have ideas that could help shape the future of mining technology, I’d love to hear from you. Contact Tao via LinkedIn