OBE award wins founding executive top praise

The founding executive director of the Chamber of Mines and Petroleum, Greg Anderson, was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) on Queen’s Birthday last week.
The award is for his long service to the mineral and petroleum sector and social services.
Anderson arrived in PNG in 1975 from Australia and worked with the PNG geological survey department as an engineering geologist. Later he became the country’s chief geologist with the department.
When the Chamber of Mines and Petroleum was established in 1989, he became its first executive director, a position he held to last year.
He has been credited for having had the leadership to build a professional organisation with strong credibility and respect in PNG and the region.
Chamber president Gerea Aopi said the Queen’s award is a recognition of Anderson’s devotion to PNG, especially his contribution to the mineral and petroleum sectors.
“Greg’s illustrious career spans over three decades in the resource industry,” Aopi said.
“Greg also contributed to tertiary education by supporting UPNG and Unitech in ensuring that these institutions responded to the needs and requirement of the resource industry.
He was also instrumental in the fight against HIV/AIDS by helping to establish the Private Sector HIV/AIDS Project which is now the Business Coalition Against HIV/AIDS or BAHA, and also the Women in Mining project.”