Board and
Management
Board
Ross Cotton – Managing Director
Ross has over 17 years of experience in the investment banking and natural resource sectors. He brings significant experience in both the financing and management of resource companies globally having worked across a wide range of commodities in Canada, Latin America, Europe and Australia. Ross spent 6 years in stockbroking with a well respected firm in Western Australia and a further 8 years in corporate advisory roles focusing on the junior to mid-cap markets in Australia, the UK and Canada. Mr Cotton combines an in-depth knowledge of equity capital markets and strategy along with hands-on experience in senior level company management.
Ross also serves as a Non-Executive Director of White Cliff Minerals Limited (ASX: WCN).
Karl Simich- Director
Karl Simich has more than 30 years’ experience as an international resource company executive, specialising in corporate finance and company management.He has held Board and senior executive positions with numerous ASX-listed mining companies and has played a key role in the financing, construction, development and operation of multiple mining projects in Australia, New Zealand and Africa.
Mr Simich was the founding Managing Director of copper producer Sandfire Resources (ASX: SFR), where he oversaw the discovery and development of the DeGrussa Copper-Gold Mine in Western Australia,one of the Asia-Pacific region’s premier high-grade copper mines. Mr Simich also oversaw a global growth and diversification strategy which saw Sandfire expand into North America, Europe and Africa, transforming it from a single-mine company into a diversified producer with operations in Europe, Africa and Australia and a clear pathway to production of more than ~120ktpa of copper and ~100ktpa of zinc.
Mr Simich is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and has completed post-graduate studies in business and finance.
Sean Murray – Non-executive Chairperson
Mr Sean Murray has an Honours degree in modern languages and a post graduate Master’s degree in Business Management and Economics from the Manchester Business School, part of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, in the United Kingdom. Mr Murray has more than 40 years’ experience worldwide in the chemicals and mining industries, including non-ferrous metals and minerals and industrial minerals. His successful executive management career includes senior roles with Australian Mining and Smelting (CRA), Pasminco Europe and Pasminco Inc and Rio Tinto plc where he became Managing Director of Borax Europe and then Deputy Chief Executive, Rio Tinto Borax in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Mr Murray has also served on the boards of Rio Tinto operating companies either as president or as an executive director in the USA (California), Argentina, France, Germany, Holland, Spain and Italy. He has been a Vice-President of the European Zinc Institute (The Hague), and an Industry Advisor on non-ferrous metals and minerals to the UK government at the International Lead Zinc Study Group, (United Nations). He was a Vice-President of the Industrial Minerals Association and President of the European Borates Association in Brussels where he became involved in Public Relations and Sustainable Development.
Since 2005, Mr Murray has provided consulting services on marketing, planning and strategy to the industrial minerals sector in Europe, Australia and the Americas and has held non-executive directorships on the boards of AIM and ASX listed copper, gold, tungsten, potash and fluorspar companies including, Fluormin plc (formerly LSE:FLOR and Potash Minerals Ltd (formerly (ASX:POK)). He was a senior partner in a New York based LLP developing minerals businesses in the former Soviet Union. Mr Murray is fluent in a number of European languages including German and Spanish.
Mr Murray has British and Irish citizenship and lives in Surrey in the United Kingdom.
The Board considers that Mr Murray will be an independent Director.
Luke Martino – Non-executive Director
Mr Luke Martino is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, having worked for over 30 years with major accounting firms, where he held senior leadership positions and Board memberships including Lead Partner of Deloitte’s Growth Solutions practice in Perth until 2007 when he left to establish boutique corporate advisory and accounting firm, Indian Ocean Advisory Group.
Mr Martino has extensive experience in mining and resources, property and hospitality industries and is a specialist in corporate and growth consulting.
Mr Martino currently acts as a Chairman of Jadar Resources Limited (ASX: JDR) and is also Executive Director of Indian Ocean Consulting Group Pty Ltd. Mr Martino’s previous roles have included acting as Non-Executive Director of Skin Elements Ltd (ASX: SKN), Pan Asia Corporation Limited (ASX: PZC), Non-Executive Chairman and Director of Central Asia Resources Limited (ASX: CVR) and former Company Secretary of Blackgold International Holdings Limited (ASX: BGG).
The Board does not consider that Mr Martino is an independent Director.
Management
Dejan Jovanovic – General Manager
Mr Jovanovic is a geologist with more than 15 years’ experience in managing complex exploration projects and mineral deposit evaluation. He is a well-rounded exploration professional with significant commodity experience including lithium, borates, base and precious metals. Dejan implemented and encouraged the highest standards of technical and operational excellence across multiple project support groups. He has held numerous positions throughout his career including notable roles with Rio Tinto (Serbia) where he worked on Rio Tinto’s Jadar lithium-borate deposit; senior exploration roles with Lithium Li Ltd / Pan Global Resources Inc. serving as a key leadership capacity for exploration programs in the Balkans. Dejan has also acted as a exploration management consultant to various clients including European Lithium and General Manager Exploration for Jadar Resources Limited (ASX:JDR).
Dejan holds a Master of Science in Economic and Exploration Geology from the University of Belgrade, and a member of the Professional Geological Societies (QP), and a fellow of the European Federation Geologist (CP in accordance with the JORC Code).
Simon Acomb – Chief Financial Officer & Joint Company Secretary
Simon Acomb is a Chartered Accountant with over 8 years’ experience in the areas of accounting, external audit and corporate governance. He has a Bachelor of Commerce and Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance & Risk Management.
Valerie Pascale – Community Engagement Advisor
Melanie Ross is an accounting and corporate governance professional with over 20 years’ experience in financial accounting and analysis, audit, business and corporate advisory services in public practice, commerce and state government. She has a Bachelor of Commerce and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and New Zealand and an associate member of the Governance Institute of Australia.
Valerie Pascale – Community Engagement Advisor
Valerie Pascale has been working in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Sustainability and Community & Indigenous Engagement in the mineral exploration and mining industry for 15 years. She is the Founder of Modern Core, a company focused on ESG support and relationship-building between companies and communities during the exploration phase of mining.
Before this, Valerie was the Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at Goldcorp (now Newmont) for over 10 years. Earlier in her career, she worked with NGOs, Indigenous organizations and governments on community development projects and programs. Valerie is on the Board of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), the current Chair of PDAC’s Sustainability Committee, and the former chair of the PDAC’s Diversity and Inclusion working group. She also sits on Agnico Eagle’s Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC).
Valerie works with companies and communities to establish effective and trusting local partnerships, develop responsible practices and processes, and achieve sustainable socio-economic development.
Valerie is a graduate of International Development Studies. Her key areas of expertise include human rights, stakeholder and community engagement, local procurement and employment, risk and opportunities assessment, diversity & inclusion and ESG strategy and governance.