About StratumCore

StratumCore: independent mining finance advisory in Brisbane

StratumCore: mining finance advisory built by someone who's done the job.

StratumCore is principal-led. No junior consultants. No templated solutions.

StratumCore is an independent finance advisory firm based in Brisbane, Queensland. We provide cost reduction diagnostics, financial control and governance, and finance team development to mid-tier mining operators, mining contractors and other asset-intensive businesses across Queensland and Australia.

Principal | StratumCore

Wen Khong

Wen is a finance and transformation leader with experience supporting large asset-intensive organisations across mining and industrial sectors. He has delivered initiatives focused on finance capability improvement, operational performance, and financial governance — helping leadership teams strengthen financial insight and decision support.

Having spent time on the other side of the fence as a Production Coal Manager, his work focuses on improving how finance teams partner better with operational leaders and support more disciplined operational and capital decision-making.

Wen is a Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ) and Chartered Secretary (AGIA), holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Professional Accounting and Finance, and is a Harvard Business School alumnus.

He founded StratumCore to give mid-market businesses direct access to that depth of experience, without the overhead of a large firm.

BHP Wesfarmers BUMA Ernst & Young

Consulting Principal | StratumCore

Calvin Yong

Calvin has extensive experience across commercial strategy, operational performance, and major contract negotiations within large mining and industrial organisations.

He has worked closely with operational and executive leadership teams to improve cost performance, operational effectiveness, and commercial outcomes — and has supported major supplier negotiations and capital investment decisions. Calvin's approach is grounded in delivery, ensuring initiatives are not only well-defined but executed effectively to achieve measurable results. He is known for clear, structured thinking that cuts through complexity and challenges assumptions.

Calvin holds an MBA from The University of Queensland, is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA), and holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Finance.

BMA BHP Bankwest CS Gas

Melinda Wareing, Consulting Principal at StratumCore

Consulting Principal | StratumCore

Procurement & Supply Chain

Melinda Wareing

Melinda leads StratumCore’s procurement, contracts and supply chain work. She has spent close to two decades in strategic procurement and contractor management across mining, energy and government, most recently as Manager Contracts at Blackwater Mine, where she directed the mine site operations stream of BHP’s $6.4 billion divestment to Whitehaven Coal and ran contractor management for one of Queensland’s largest coal operations.

Before that she was Director of Procurement at UrbanGrowth NSW, building the agency’s procurement policy, framework and category management from a standing start, and held supply chain and procurement consulting roles at PwC and KPMG and operational roles at Woodside, BHP Iron Ore and Rio Tinto.

She also spent more than a decade starting and running her own small businesses, so she understands the constraints owner-operators work under.

Melinda is MCIPS, Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, and holds an MBA from Curtin Graduate School of Business. She has close to 20 years in procurement, contracts and supply chain leadership across mining, energy and government.

Whitehaven Coal BHP BMA BHP Iron Ore Woodside Energy UrbanGrowth NSW PwC KPMG Rio Tinto

Our philosophy

What makes us different.

Senior from day one

You get Wen, not a graduate with a framework.

Independent

No conflicts, no product to sell, no firm politics.

Sector-specific

We know mining finance. We don't need a learning curve at your expense.

How we work

Principal-led. Always.

StratumCore is a principal-led advisory firm. Calvin Yong and Melinda Wareing work with StratumCore as consulting principals on selected engagements. For engagements that require broader capability, we draw on a trusted network of senior independent specialists — all with mining or resources backgrounds.

StratumCore is a trading name of StratumCore Pty Ltd (ABN 61 696 477 406).

Questions we get asked

Who delivers the work?

The principals. Engagements are led and delivered by Wen Khong and, on selected engagements, Calvin Yong and Melinda Wareing. We do not staff engagements with graduates or junior analysts.

What industries does StratumCore work in?

Mining and resources first, particularly open-cut coal and metalliferous operations and the contractors that serve them. We also work with energy, infrastructure and other asset-intensive businesses where the same cost and control disciplines apply.

Who leads procurement and supply chain at StratumCore?

Melinda Wareing, Consulting Principal. She holds MCIPS from the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply and an MBA from Curtin Graduate School of Business, and has close to 20 years in procurement, contracts and supply chain leadership across mining, energy and government, most recently as Manager Contracts at Blackwater Mine.

Is StratumCore a partnership?

No. StratumCore is a trading name of StratumCore Pty Ltd, an Australian private company. Calvin Yong and Melinda Wareing work with StratumCore as consulting principals on selected engagements.

Let's talk.

Discovery calls are free, focused, and no obligation.

Book a call

wen@stratumcore.com.au · Brisbane, QLD, Australia