Firefinch
(ASX:FFX)

Dr Michael Anderson has extensive management and technical experience built up over a 30-year career in Africa and Australia. Michael recently joined Firefinch from Taurus Funds Management where he helped to lead the fund’s investment into numerous West African gold producers. Previously, as Managing Director of Exco Resources, he led the Company to a number of major achievements. These included successful development of the White Dam Gold Mine, advancement of resource development, feasibility studies and approvals for the Cloncurry Copper Project ahead of its ultimate sale to Xstrata for A$175M, and numerous funding arrangements, all of which led to a significant share price re-rating and a five-fold increase in market capitalisation. Dr Anderson holds a BSc. (1st Class Honours in Mining Geology) and a PhD in Mining Geology, both from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, University of London.

Dr Cowden has spent 40 years as a mining executive, director and geologist in the mining industry in Australia, Africa, Asia and Europe. He has founded eight public companies including Altona Mining, of which he was Managing Director. Altona financed built and sold the Kylylahti copper-gold mine in Finland in 2014 and owned the Eva Copper project in Queensland prior to its $250 million merger with TSX listed Copper Mountain Mining Corporation, a major copper-gold producer in Canada.

Dr Cowden has been part of the discovery, financing and development of many mines including the Kanowna Belle and Sunrise Dam gold mines in Western Australia, the Hartley Platinum mine in Zimbabwe, the Kylylahti copper-gold mine in Finland, the Nimbus silver mine in Western Australia and the Eva Copper Project in Queensland. Dr Cowden has extensive experience across the mining industry including mergers, acquisitions and financing.

Dr Cowden holds an honours degree in Geology (Edinburgh University), a PhD in Geology (University of London), and is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, The Australian Institute of Geoscientists and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dr Cowden as Managing Director accepted the Diggers and Dealers Junior Explorer of the Year for Archaean Gold in 1995, received the Queensland Explorer of the Year for Altona in 2012 and Altona was awarded the Mining Journal Outstanding Achievement Award 2014, Small and mid-cap deal of the year at Mines and Money London.

Mr Hepburn is a Corporate and Financial Markets Executive with over 28 years’ experience in a range of management and board positions for Institutional Stockbroking and Derivatives Trading desks for Major Financial Institutions. His career has included roles with Deutsche Bank and Macquarie Bank where he managed global derivatives distribution sales teams. Additionally, Mr Hepburn has worked as an Executive Director of a leading Perth stockbroking firm during which time he was involved in numerous fund-raising transactions for ASX listed industrial and resource companies. He has also worked as the corporate development executive for ASX listed mining company Doray Minerals (DRM).

Mr Hepburn was also Managing Director of his own Corporate Advisory firm which specialised in executing corporate and equity transactions for ASX listed resource companies.

Mr Hepburn holds a Bachelor of Economics (University of Western Australia), and has been a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) since 2008.

Brett is an experienced ASX company director, currently holding a position as Director of central-west African iron ore company, Sundance Resources Limited. Brett’s deep knowledge (acquired over his 30 years’ corporate finance experience) will be a great asset to the Company, particularly regarding business acquisitions, business strategy and restructuring, and corporate governance. Brett is a Fellow of CPA Australia, a Fellow of Financial Services Institute of Australasia, and a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and a Graduate Diploma in Finance (SIA).

Mr Borg is a consultant geologist who has specialised in the “battery materials” sector including lithium, graphite and cobalt mineralisation, participating in numerous successful projects, in an investment and/or operational capacity.

Mr Borg has more than 20 years’ experience gained working in management, operational and project development roles in the Exploration and Mining industries, with companies including Rio Tinto Iron Ore, Magnis Resources Limited, IronClad Mining Limited, Lithex Resources Limited and Sibelco Australia Limited. Brendan is currently the Managing Director of Celsius Resources Ltd (ASX:CLA) and a Non-Executive Director of Tempus Resources Limited (ASX:TMR). He is also a Director of geological consultancy Borg Geoscience Pty Ltd.

Mr Borg holds a Master of Science in Hydrogeology and Groundwater Management (University of Technology Sydney), a Bachelor of Science in Geology/Environmental Science (Monash University) and is a member of AusIMM and IAH.

Mr Gordon is a seasoned resource industry executive with 30 years’ experience in the gold, copper and mineral sands industries.

Mr Gordon has significant African experience, particularly as CEO of Acacia Mining. Mr Gordon grew LSE listed Acacia Mining’s market capitalisation from approximately £450 million to £2.5 billion (A$800 million to A$4.5 billion), transforming the business into a significant cash generating operation.

Mr Gordon was CEO of Intrepid Mines for 5 years during which its market capitalisation increased to A$1.4 billion through a series of corporate deals with the value primarily driven by the discovery and development of the world-class Tujuh Bukit gold-copper-silver project in Indonesia.

Mr Gordon has deep operational and gold industry experience, both in large scale open pit mining and underground operations.  He was CEO of Emperor Mines in Fiji and Managing Director of Placer Dome Asia Pacific.

He has supervised operations at mines such as Porgera in PNG, Kanowna Belle, Paddington and Kundana all in Western Australia. Mr Gordon holds a Mining Engineering degree from the Western Australia School of Mines (Curtin University) and an Executive MBA from INSEAD, France.