Kim Hein is an internationally recognized consulting geologist with over 35 years of experience in mineral exploration, mining, and geoscience education across Africa and Australia. She holds a PhD in Economic Geology from the University of Tasmania, and a BSc (Hons) from the University of Adelaide, where she received both the Ralph Tate Medal and the Homestake Prize for Economic Geology in 1989. Kim has held various geology roles with WMC Resources, North Ltd, and Zapopan NL, conducting work across Australia and West Africa. From 2004 to 2018, she served as the Chamber of Mines Chair and Professor of Mining Geology at the University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, later becoming Professor Emeritus. She is currently Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Australia and was a former Visiting Scientist at the University of Twente, Netherlands. As Owner and Director of KAAH Geoservices (Netherlands), she advises on structural geology in gold and base metal systems with clients across Africa. She has been involved in the AMIRA West African Exploration Initiative (WAXI P934) and consulted on the World Bank-funded PADSEM geoscience and minerals development project in Burkina Faso. Kim Hein is a Fellow of the Geological Society of South Africa. She joins CUPANI Metals Corp as an Independent Director, bringing deep technical insight, academic rigor, and a global exploration network.