Guest Speaker
Kathlene Jacobson
Kathlene was recently appointed Technical Marketing Manager for Potash at BHP. Over the past 3.5 years, she has held key leadership roles within the Potash Asset, including Lead Business Performance—serving as Chief of Staff to Asset President Karina Gistelinck—where she developed strategic metrics and frameworks for upcoming operations.
Previously, Kathlene led the Potash Innovation team, driving future flowsheet development, decarbonization technologies, and strategic support for potash growth studies. Before joining BHP, she held progressive roles at Mosaic across all Saskatchewan sites, including Research Engineer, Process Engineering Lead, and Production Superintendent. Her career has spanned product development, brownfield expansions, and greenfield megaprojects.
Born and raised in Saskatoon, SK, Kathlene holds a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. She is currently pursuing an Executive MBA at Queen’s University Smith School of Business, with expected completion in June 2026.
Presentation Information
Growing a Culture of Inclusion
The BHP Jansen Potash Project, located in Saskatchewan, Canada, is poised to become one of the world’s largest potash mines, with a planned production capacity of 8.5 million tonnes per annum after Jansen Stage 2 is complete. Central to its operational efficiency is an advanced potash processing methodology designed to maximize recovery rates and minimize environmental impact. The process begins with ore extraction via conventional underground mining using the long room and pillar method. Underground has been optimized to have less equipment than traditional mines. At the processing facility, the ore undergoes a state-of-the-art flotation process, employing separate fine and coarse flotation circuits enhanced by on-stream analysis to achieve industry-leading recovery. The facility integrates cutting-edge automation especially in raw ore, product storage and train loadout. The processing facilities are equipped with three times the process sensors and ten times the machine health monitoring sensors compared to our regional peers, ensuring precision and efficiency. This presentation will showcase how Jansen is approaching becoming the newest mine in Saskatchewan.
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