Our team
GT4’s team brings together experienced professionals with backgrounds in mining engineering, rock mechanics, and geotechnical engineering.
The consultancy operates on a senior-led model, ensuring that projects benefit directly from experienced oversight and technical judgement.
GT4’s professionals have worked in consulting, operational, and advisory roles across a range of project environments.
The team combines strong technical foundations with the ability to communicate complex issues clearly and support practical decision-making.
Trevor Silverton
Director and Co-Founder
Trevor is a mining professional with over 40 years of experience in geotechnical engineering, mine design, and risk management across five continents. His career spans both operational leadership and consultancy, including senior technical roles on underground gold, diamond, and coal mines in Africa. As Technical Services Manager for Kinross in Ghana, he oversaw both open pit and underground operations. Trevor later built extensive consulting experience in scoping, feasibility, due diligence, and operational optimisation. His work as a risk engineer for a major insurer further shaped his risk-based approach to delivering safe, practical, and cost-effective engineering solutions.
Nic Lightfoot
Director and Co-Founder
Nic is a rock mechanics specialist with over 35 years’ experience in mining engineering and numerical modelling. His career spans research, consulting, and software development, including leadership of South Africa’s Rockburst Control Programme and heading Miningtek’s Software Development Laboratory. He has extensive experience applying 2D and 3D numerical modelling tools such as FLAC, FLAC3D, UDEC, 3DEC, and Map3D to support mine design, seismic assessment, and pillar stability analysis. Nic has authored and co-authored technical publications in rock engineering and modelling, and provides data-driven, technically rigorous input to complex geotechnical challenges.
Ahmed El-Orabi
Director and Co-Founder
Ahmed is a geotechnical engineering executive with extensive experience in technical leadership and organisational development within ground-related disciplines. He has served in senior leadership geotechnical roles in the Middle East and engages widely with professional communities through published thought leadership on engineering practice and change management. Ahmed holds an Executive Master in Change from INSEAD, graduating at the top of his cohort, and brings a blend of technical depth and strategic insight to complex engineering challenges. His work emphasizes clarity under uncertainty, effective stakeholder engagement, and practical implementation of geotechnical solutions.
Ian Gregson
Director and Co-Founder
Ian is a Chartered Mining Engineer with over 35 years of experience in rock mechanics and geotechnical engineering. He is widely recognised for his expertise in in-situ stress measurement, ground behaviour interpretation, and the application of advanced analytical methods in complex underground environments. Ian has authored and contributed to technical publications and has provided independent advisory input on international mining and infrastructure projects. His career spans operational leadership, consulting, and research roles, combining rigorous technical analysis with practical engineering judgement in high-consequence settings.
Our professional memberships include
Experience matters
Effective geotechnical decision-making relies on informed judgement as much as technical analysis.
GT4’s approach emphasises appropriate use of tools, understanding of uncertainty, and experience-based insight into how decisions affect real projects. GT4 regularly supports both early-stage studies and active operations, providing experienced technical input to help inform next steps.