About the Mackie item's authorBarry Allan heads the mining group, and is also Senior Mining Analyst. Barry joined the firm in 1997 and has over 28 years of experience in the mining sector. During his career, Barry has consistently ranked as one of the top ten gold and precious metals mining analysts in Canada, and he is the main reason that our mining analyst team is consistently rated among North America's top five firms by independent agencies such as Brennan Woods and Zack's. Barry began his career as an exploration geologist with a number of major and junior mining companies, spending five years in the field before becoming a mining specialist for CIBC. Prior to joining the firm, Barry was a Gold and Precious Metals Mining Analyst with Gordon Capital, BZW, and Prudential Bache. Barry is a member of the Prospectors Developers Association, is a published author with the Geological Association of Canada, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers. Barry holds a B.Sc. (Geology) degree and an MBA from Dalhousie University.