EMED (AIM: EMED; TSX: EMD) is pleased to announce the appointments of Hussein Barma, Stephen Scott, Jonathan Lamb and Damon Barber to the Board of Directors. The new appointments will become effective on 9 September following the Board of Directors meeting the same day. In line with previous announcements, the appointments ensure that the Company now has a Board of independent and non-independent Directors who have a wealth of industry experience and the skill sets to further develop the Company's operations and to maximise shareholder value.
EMED, with all required licenses in place, is now focussing on the commissioning stage of its 5Mtpa Phase 1 at the Riotinto copper project and is fully funded for the expansion to 7.5Mtpa ore production. As such, the Board will be focussed on developing operations and positioning the Company as a significant copper producer with scope to further increase its resource base and production whilst also exploring further opportunities to enhance its portfolio.
Background to the Appointments
As announced on 28 May 2015, each of Hong Kong Xiangguang International Holdings Limited ("HKX") (a subsidiary of Yanggu Xiangguang Copper Co. Ltd ("XGC")), Trafigura Beheer B.V ("Trafigura"), Orion Mine Finance (Master) Fund I LP ("Orion") and Liberty Metals & Mining Holdings, LLC ("Liberty Metals & Mining") has the right to appoint one nominated non-executive director to the Board. Furthermore, the Company is appointing two additional independent directors in order to ensure appropriate Board composition.
A summary of the new director appointments to the existing Board, announced today, is provided in the table below.
Director
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Position
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Hussein Barma
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Independent non-executive director
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Stephen Scott
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Independent non-executive director
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Damon Barber
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Non-executive director appointed by Liberty Metals & Mining
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Jonathan Lamb
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Non-executive director appointed by Orion
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Director Biographies
Hussein Barma has significant FTSE senior executive experience, having spent 15 years at Antofagasta plc between 1998 and 2014 where he held the position of Chief Financial Officer (UK). He has a deep knowledge of the global mining industry as well as governance practices at board level, accounting and reporting, investor relations, financing, strategy and the regulatory requirements of the London market. He previously worked as an auditor at Price Waterhouse (now PwC). He is currently Principal of Barma Advisory, where he has worked with clients across a range of sectors. He is a steering group member of the UK Financial Reporting Council's Financial Reporting Lab. He is a chartered accountant (ICAEW) and a barrister (Middle Temple), and has a doctorate in corporate law from the University of Oxford.
Stephen Scott has more than 25 years' global mining industry experience. He is currently President and CEO of Minenet Advisors, a capital markets and management advisory consultancy providing advice to clients on corporate development, project management, strategy and business restructuring. Between 2000 and 2014 he held several executive positions with Rio Tinto PLC including General Manager Commercial for Rio Tinto Copper (2005 to 2014), and President Director of Rio Tinto Indonesia (2002 to 2005). He is currently a director of Reservoir Minerals Inc., Rathdowney Resources Ltd and Shore Gold Inc.
Damon Barber is the Senior Managing Director of Liberty Metals & Mining and has more than 23 years of experience in natural resources finance and operations. Prior to joining Liberty Metals & Mining, Mr. Barber held several senior positions with mining companies and served as the Head of Deutsche Bank's Metals and Mining investment banking practice in Asia-Pacific. Mr Barber also spent more than 11 years at Credit Suisse, primarily as an investment banker in Credit Suisse's Energy Group. Mr. Barber graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.S. in Mining Engineering and began his career as a section foreman at CONSOL Energy Inc.'s Loveridge Mine. Mr Barber holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Jonathan Lamb is an Investment Manager at Orion Mine Finance. Prior to Orion, Mr. Lamb was an Investment Manager for the Red Kite Group's Mine Finance business. Before joining Red Kite in 2012, Mr. Lamb worked in
Deutsche Bank's Metals & Mining Investment Banking group in New York, where he worked on a variety of debt and equity financing as well as M&A transactions for clients across the base metals, precious metals, coal and steel sectors. Mr. Lamb graduated from the College of William and Mary with a BA in Finance and Government.
Roger Davey, Chairman, commented:
"Alberto Lavandeira and I very much look forward to working alongside the new and existing Board members as we develop the size and scope of EMED's operations. We are delighted to welcome such high calibre individuals to the Company, and we feel very fortunate as they bring a wealth of experience and different strengths to the table which will be invaluable as the Company embarks on its production strategy. This is an extremely exciting point in our history and this strong mix of skill sets will only enhance our ability to deliver on our ultimate goal of becoming an established copper producer of significant scale."
Disclosures pursuant to Rule 17 of the AIM Rules for Companies
In terms of the appointment of Dr Hussein Barma (aged 49) to the board, there is no further information that is required to be disclosed pursuant to Schedule 2 paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies, save for the following:
Current directorships/partnerships
Barma Advisory
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Oxford Islamic Finance Limited
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Museum of Modern Art Limited
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Carlton Hill Management (No. 70) Company Limited
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Past directorships/partnerships
Antofagasta Services Limited
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Antofagasta (Chili) and Bolivia Railway Company Limited
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Antofagasta Copper Limited
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Antofagasta Minerals Limited
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Antofagasta Gold Limited
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Antofagasta Mining Limited
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Antofagasta Holdings Limited
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Antofagasta Nickel Limited
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Antofagasta Metals Limited
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In terms of the appointment of Stephen Victor Scott (aged 55) to the board, there is no further information that is required to be disclosed pursuant to Schedule 2 paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies, save for the following:
Current directorships/partnerships
Minenet Advisors
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Shore Gold Inc.
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Reservoir Minerals Inc.
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Rakita (BVI) Ltd
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Rathdowney Resources Ltd
|
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Past directorships/partnerships
Rio Tinto Indonesia
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Hathor Exploration Ltd (renamed Rio Tinto Canada Uranium)
|
Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd
|
|
In terms of the appointment of Jonathan Forrester Lamb (aged 31) to the board, there is no further information that is required to be disclosed pursuant to Schedule 2 paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies, save for the following:
Past directorships/partnerships
Lambda Triton House Corporation
In terms of the appointment of Damon Gilbert Barber (aged 48) to the board, there is no further information that is required to be disclosed pursuant to Schedule 2 paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies, save for the following:
Current directorships/partnerships
Ram River Coal Corp.
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Cockatoo Coal Ltd.
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Past directorships/partnerships
CST Mining Group Limited
Enquiries:
EMED Mining
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Roger Davey/Alberto Lavandeira
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+34 959 59 28 50
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Canaccord Genuity (Nomad and Broker)
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Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor/ Oliver Donaldson
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+44 207 523 8000
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Brandon Hill Capital (Broker)
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Oliver Stansfield
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+44 203 463 5061
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4C Communications (Investor Relations Europe)
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Carina Corbett
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+44 203 170 7973
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Roth Investor Relations (Investor Relations North America)
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Michelle Roth
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+1 732 792 2200
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Walbrook PR (Media Relations)
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Nick Rome
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+44 207 933 8783
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