Robert Yeates is a graduate of the University of NSW, completing a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours 1), a PhD, and then an MBA from Newcastle University. He began his career with Peko Wallsend working in a variety of roles including mining engineering, project management, mine management and marketing. He became general manager of marketing at Oakbridge in 1989 following a merger with the Peko Wallsend coal businesses, and went on to become managing director of Oakbridge which was the largest coal mining company in NSW at that time, operating one open cut and five underground coal mines. Dr Yeates gained operating, business development and infrastructure experience as a director of Port Waratah Coal Services (Newcastle Port), Port Kembla Coal Terminal, Great Northern Mining Corporation NL, and Cyprus Australia Coal, For over 18 years, he has been principal of his own mine management consultancy providing a wide range of technical, management and strategic planning services to the mining industry. Dr Yeates was also project director and chief executive of Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group, which has developed and is operating coal export facilities in Newcastle.
