Maki Ikeda
Head of Innovation, BHP

Passionate about technology innovation and challenging our ecosystem to think differently about the future of our industries, Maki has spent a large part of her career driving business value creation in the Energy sector, in operational, technology, innovation and strategy roles, and expanded her reach later in her career in the broader industrial space. 

She is currently the Head of Product Development, as part of the Innovation Leadership Team at BHP Think & Act Differently. Her team has adopted an open innovation model, accelerating technology deployment and creating pathways for the integration of technologies required to build modern lower impact mines to support the needs of today and tomorrow. 

Maki has vast international operational experience, having previously worked in North and South America, Asia and Europe, which is leveraged in her agile approach to creating practical sustainable growth pathways across the value chain. She identifies as an agent of change and has a deep passion for collaboration and talent development. She holds a Diplome d’Ingenieur from Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France and a Master of Science in Reservoir Engineering from Stanford University, CA, USA.