Mr Robert Downey
Chairman
Mr Downey was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Western Australia in December 1999. In 2001 Mr Downey joined Blakiston & Crabb, an independent resource / corporate / commercial law firm based in Perth. While at Blakiston & Crabb, Mr Downey specialised in advising oil and gas and mining companies in relation to a wide range of legal issues, including initial public offerings; prospectuses for equity and debt raisings, takeovers and reverse takeovers, schemes of arrangement and other types of corporate transactions.
Mr Downey also developed an expertise advising both Australian and foreign incorporated entities on dual listings and cross jurisdiction capital raising and listing rule advice particularly with respect to the TSX-V and AIM markets. Following this experience Mr Downey acted as General Counsel for a Canadian oil and gas exploration and production company with assets in Europe and Africa overseeing the dual listing on the TSX-V and AIM, the raising of £50 million and the subsequent takeover of the company by way of scheme of arrangement.
Mr Gino D’Anna
Executive Director
Mr D’Anna has significant primary and secondary capital markets experience and has extensive experience in resource exploration, public company operations, administration and financial management. Over the past 12 years, Mr D’Anna has raised in excess of $200 million for public and private companies.
Mr D’Anna has experience in Canadian Government and First Nations relations in the mining sector and has worked in numerous jurisdictions including Australia, Botswana, Namibia and Canada. In addition, he has been involved in the exploration and development of many projects including new discoveries and the continued development of existing discoveries.
Mr D’Anna is currently an executive director of MetalsTech Limited (ASX: MTC) which is developing the Sturec Gold Mine in Slovakia, and a director of Metals Australia Ltd (ASX: MLS) which is developing the high-grade open cut Lac Rainy Graphite Mine located in Quebebc, Canada.
Mr D’Anna is a founding shareholder and founding director of Askari Metals Limited (ASX: AS2).
Mr Chris Evans
Technical Director – Lithium
Mr Evans has a strong lithium and civil engineering background with close to 20 years demonstrated success in managing large scale construction and mining development projects and operations across various commodities.
As Chief Operating Officer, Mr Evans was responsible for building and bringing into operation the Pilgangoora lithium mine and processing facility which was recently acquired by Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) in a deal valued at more than $200 million.
In this role and also in his subsequent role as Managing Director of an ASX listed lithium development Company, Mr Evans was involved in establishing and maintaining key relationships with project finance and off-take partners.
Mr Evans holds a Master of Engineering Science, Construction Management, (University of New South Wales), a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons), Civil (University of New South Wales), and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Mr Johan Lambrechts
Vice President – Exploration and Geology
Mr Lambrechts has demonstrable public company experience in large and small companies and possesses significant expertise in both opencut and underground operations, managing teams ranging from 3 to 475 people in a range of appointments. He has successfully managed multiple contracts and projects ranging from diamond and RC drilling to infrastructure construction and ore reclamation.
Mr Lambrechts strengths lie in leadership, project management, problem solving and systems implementation. He has a strong business acumen and can link exploration success with future mining potential and the requirements and pathways for success.
Mr Lambrechts has previously worked for a range of successful Australian mining and resource companies including Godolphin Resources (ASX: GRL), Ardea Resources (ASX: ARL) and Silver Lake Resources (ASX: SLR). In addition, Mr Lambrechts has spent time working with tier-one mining companies, including Anglo Platinum, Xstrata Zinc and Glencore.
Mr Lambrechts has a Bachelor of Science (Geology) with Honours from the University of Port Elizabeth and has completed the Management Development Program at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Mr Paul Fromson
CFO / Company Secretary
Mr Fromson, B.Com, CPA, AICD, is a finance professional who has more than 30 years industry experience, including over 23 years with ASX listed resource companies. He has held a variety of senior positions including Company Secretary, Chief Financial Officer and Director in exploration and mining companies.
Mr Fromson’s resources experience extends over a number of commodities and he has worked on multinational joint ventures such as the Boddington Gold Mine and Worsley Alumina Projects through to a significant gold producer and a variety of exploration companies on projects within Australia and overseas.
Mr Fromson brings extensive experience in corporate matters, ASX listing rules and all forms of capital raising.
He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Certified Practising Accountant and a Licensed Tax Agent. Mr. Fromson holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from The University of Western Australia.