Chairman
Mr. Proust is lifelong entrepreneur and has been an active participant in the Canadian capital markets for more than 30 years. An independent businessman, Mr. Proust is a founder, builder, financier, and principal shareholder of numerous public and private resource-based companies. He holds and has held senior operating roles and board positions of public companies on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV), Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE), Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), and Alternative Investment Market (AIM). Mr. Proust is currently Chairman & CEO of Japan Gold Corp., Chairman & CEO of Southern Arc Minerals Inc., President, and Director of Lincoln Ventures Ltd., and Director of Rise Gold Corp. Mr. Proust is a graduate of The Directors College, Michael G. De Groote School of Business at McMaster University and holds the designation of Chartered Director (C. Dir.).
Independent Director
Mr. Burney served as Canada’s Ambassador to Japan from 2016 to 2021. Mr. Burney is an accomplished, high-performing public service executive and diplomat with over 30 years of experience in international affairs, particularly in the area of global economic issues. Mr. Burney graduated from McGill University, with a Bachelor of Arts with honours in Political Science, and from the University of Toronto, with a Master of Arts in International Relations. Mr. Burney joined the Department of External Affairs in 1987 and has held a range of positions in Ottawa and diplomatic postings overseas.
Independent Director
Mr. Carrick has served as Chairman of RTG Mining Inc. since 2013, responsible for the development of seven major gold mines in five countries around the world, including the development of the largest gold mine in the Philippines through CGA Mining. CGA completed a merger with B2 Gold of Canada, valuing CGA at US$1.1 billion. Mr. Carrick is a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years of experience in the resources sector. He holds a degree in Commerce from the University of Natal, and an Accounting and Finance degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants both in South Africa and in Australia.
Director
Mr. Kuriyama served in increasingly senior roles with Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. from 1974 until his recent retirement as General Manager of its Global Exploration and Development Department. During his career at Sumitomo, Mr. Kuriyama held the role of Exploration and Geology Manager at Sumitomo’s Hishikari world class gold mine in Kyushu, Southern Japan, and subsequently held senior exploration positions in Africa, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. In the roles of Executive Vice President of Sumitomo Metal Mining America Inc. and Managing Director of Sumitomo Metal Mining Oceania Pty Ltd., Mr. Kuriyama oversaw the development of the Northparkes copper-gold porphyry copper mine and the Pogo gold mine in Alaska. During his career with Sumitomo, he was seconded to Japanese government organizations serving as Councillor at the Metals Exploration Group of the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) and Director at the Joint Venture Exploration Division for the Metal Mining Agency of Japan (MMAJ). Mr. Kuriyama also served as a Director of Teck Resources Limited from 2006 until 2016. He is a geology graduate of the Mining and Geology Department of Akita University.
Independent Director
Mr. Harbidge is a geologist with more than 25 years of experience in mining exploration and development with a proven track record of discovering world class gold deposits. Mr. Harbidge was most recently the President and Chief Executive Officer of GT Gold and led the company to a CA$456 million acquisition by Newmont Mining Corp. in May 2021. Prior to leading GT Gold, Mr. Harbidge was the Senior Vice President of Exploration at the multinational gold mining company Goldcorp Inc. from 2016 until its acquisition by Newmont Mining Corp. in April 2019. Mr. Harbidge also successfully led the Exploration Team at the gold miner Randgold Resources Limited, resulting in five major gold discoveries including the +5Moz Gounkoto deposit in the Loulo area of Mali and the +4Moz Massawa deposit in Senegal. He is a technical advisor to Kalo Gold in Fiji and Gemdale Gold in Finland. Mr. Harbidge holds a First-Class Honours Degree in Geology from Kingston University, London, UK, and a Master of Science in Mineral Exploration and Mining Geology from Leicester University, UK.
Independent Director
Ms. Heersche is a highly regarded expert and strategic advisor in the natural resources industry with over 25 years of international industry experience. From 2010 through to 2023, Ms. Heersche was a senior partner at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP and was the head of the firm wide ESG Steering Committee. Prior to Fasken, Ms. Heersche was a partner at White & Case LLP where she was co-Chair of the Global Metals & Mining Practice Group and executive managing partner of its Johannesburg office. She has a particular emphasis on project development, investment agreement negotiations and the integration of ESG into development frameworks. Ms. Heersche holds an LLB from the University of Toronto and a BSc (Physiology) and BA (German Literature) from Western University.
Independent Director
Mr. Flanigan is a management consultant providing financial advisory services to several public and private oil and gas, mining and technology companies in North America and abroad. Mr. Flanigan is a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Financial Analyst with expertise in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, international taxation, risk management, banking, treasury, corporate restructuring and accounting, and has served as Chief Financial Officer for various public and private companies. Mr. Flanigan is currently a Managing Principal of Kepis & Pobe Financial Group Inc. and a key member of its executive management team responsible for the negotiation and closing of numerous recent large scale oil & gas transactions in West Africa, offshore Guyana and the Middle East. Prior to founding his own consulting company, Mr. Flanigan served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and CFO of Qwest Investment Management Corp., where he was responsible for regulatory reporting and corporate filings for over 15 private and publicly listed companies and limited partnerships in Qwest's portfolio, as well as arranging and closing numerous equity and debt financings. Mr. Flanigan also served as VP Corporate Development for Adelphia Communications Corporation, overseeing the company's financial restructuring and ultimate sale to Time Warner Inc. and Comcast Corporation for approximately US$18 billion.