Leanora Horne
Digital Product Manager | Industrial UX | Mental Health | Startup, Consulting, NFP & Corporate
Newcastle, Australia
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Senior digital product and transformation specialist with eight years’ experience spanning SaaS, consulting, not-for-profit, and complex solutions in the mining industry. I combine a strong foundation of Entrepreneurship, product design and content strategy with hands-on delivery of digital solutions since 2020. In recent years I’ve been in cross-functional teams developing IoT-enabled products, software integrations, and connected data systems that drive operational efficiency and environmental impact. My experience is building digital ecosystems — from smart devices, apps, websites, integration with and data lakes, machine learning and simulation — that connect people, assets, and insights for better decisions. My passion is on driving that positive impact at the industrial level for climate change.
Area of Expertise
Topics
Designing technology for dirty gloves
I was taught that mining and sustainability couldn’t coexist—that mining was a dirty word. As a Digital Product Manager in the mining industry, I’ve seen firsthand the drive to transform this legacy industry, undertake digital transformation and the push for sustainable solutions and Net zero.
How do you improve safety and asset maintenance, with a person in a Pit, when we are designing digital products from the office?
The first step in building truly effective digital products is focusing on the people who rely on them daily. I've been to the literal coal face, it's dusty, hot, sweaty, flies buzzing, with big dirty gloves on. Not to mention offline and over exposed with light!
Innovation fails when we ignore the end users. Applying Human Centric Design principles reduces costly failures, boosts adoption, and drives tangible impact. Add in AI, machine learning, automation and predictive analytics, and we are all shaping the next frontier and making Digital Twins.
Human-Centered Design (HCD) is key—iterating and testing in real mining environments ensures our technology meets real-world needs. By integrating user feedback and iterating the design, we create safer, smarter, and widely adopted industrial solutions.
Over the years, I've been involved with cross functional t ams building IoT devices, sensors, apps, websites, AI Visionware, and digital platforms to monitor products assets 100+ mining companies in 10+ countries.
15m - 60mins
Building a life after burnout and breakdowns in tech industry
I’ll start with the disclaimer: I’m not a Psychologist. What I can say is that I’ve seen the inside of a few dark holes. I’ve personally experienced the nine yards of burnout, depression and building a life on the other side (more than once)
I live in the Newcastle community and work in technology, building, scaling and rolling out digital products across startups, not-for-profits, consulting and years in a corporate environment. My experiences span technology products in health, media, events, meal kits, community programs, and mining... burnout is everywhere.
Now I help others as a Mental Health First Aid responder in a corporate office. My colleagues can reach out to someone who understands the pressures of working full-time and the fear of slipping too deep—of reaching a point where exhaustion turns into something darker.
I’ve experienced a lifetime alongside my family who suffer from extensive mental health issues that cover anxiety, depression, addiction, psych wards and suicidal thoughts. Should my colleagues find themselves anywhere in the spectrum from burnout to breakdown, I’ve come out of it and so can you.
I’ll share my experiences and link them being in the workforce and how people can create sustainable practices that will allow them to survive the pressures of working in digital technology development.
I’ll talk about seeking psychological help, maintaining mental health, and—most importantly—making those strategies stick. Because staying afloat in a high-pressure industry isn’t just about surviving. It’s about finding ways to thrive, with mental health a part of every step.
30-60 mins
Digging deeper with a Digital Twin
I was taught that mining and sustainability couldn’t coexist—that mining was a dirty word. As a Digital Product Manager in the mining industry I’ve seen the drive and investment into digital transformation, building digital twins and pushing for Net Zero.
Imagine ensuring that 1000 mining assets are able to operate longer, without sacrificing safety and instead generating income with increased throughput. So we have made money and saved the planet! The mining industry is positioned to use digital twins to focus on operational efficiency and assist in positive climate change impact.
I’ve been a part of teams developing IoT sensors and devices, apps, websites, AI Visionware, and connected digital platforms that monitor 1000s of assets globally.
We focused on building a data lake, adding IoT devices, Ai Visionware, historical data sources and started using machine learning analysis, automation and predictive analytics, a sprinkle of GenAI and now we are shaping the next frontier.
With all that data, we then need to know how to share it with our customers, and Digital twins include the fine art of great UX and UI. Innovation fails when we ignore the end users. So we apply Human Centric Design principles to reduces costly failed products, boosts adoption, and drive tangible impact.
15-60 mins
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