In addition to being a successful mining engineering professional, Ilias Atwani is an immensely talented photographer with many achievements to his name. For his creative photography, he won the renowned photography contest organized by PwC Canada, called “The Art of Mining” in 2015. It is PwC Canada's annual photography contest that celebrates the positive impact of the Canadian mining industry at home and abroad.

For winning the contest, Ilias Atwani, along with the second-place winner, Andre Allard was rewarded with a personalized tour of local Inuit villages - Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq. The whole experience changed the way Atwani viewed Inuit villages. He was deeply moved and inspired by seeing the kind of mutual aid and community synergy that exist at the heart of Inuit culture. Their guide for the trip, Noah also took Ilias and Andre on a snowmobile ride, and gifted them a traditional anorak [a hooded jacket], making them feel as though they were part of his culture.

About Ilias Atwani

Ilias Atwani is an experienced Mining Engineer working with a senior Canadian gold mining company as a Mine Operations Coordinator (Mine Operations Dept.). He is skilled in Mining Oriented Operational Analysis/Modeling: Surpac®, Whittle®, Talpac®; Programming: Matlab®, C/C++, VB; Management and Logistics: SAP®, JD Edwards®; and CAD Software like AutoCAD® (Amine & Promine), SolidWorks®, Silverscreen® (CAMP), 3DReshaper®. He is an alumnus of Laval University from where he obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Mining and Mineral Engineering in July 2012. He also attended Institut Polytechnique privé de Casablanca from Sep 2006 to Dec 2008 for his preparatory classes for engineering school. Currently, Atwani is pursuing his Executive Master of Business Administration (E-M.B.A) degree from Laval University.