Asra places experienced miner Paul Stephen at the wheel for Leonora gold drive

• Paul Stephen appointed Asra Minerals’ new CEO
• Resume boasts 2.8Moz discovered and delineated
• Large Leonora landholdings ripe for exploration in high-flying gold market

Special Report: Asra Minerals has appointed Paul Stephen as chief executive officer to move forward its auric ambitions over the world class Leonora gold province.

The new Asra Minerals (ASX:ASR) CEO comes with over 2.8 million ounces delineated and discovered to his name as co-founder and executive director of Crusader Resources and its Brazilian operations.

His directorships have come across the Australian, UK and Canadian exchanges, covering multiple jurisdictions and commodities.

And he now finds himself in one of the more exciting places to be, with Asra holding a large chunk of land in a Leonora gold province under the eye of further consolidation in a sector-wide M&A rush.

Asra noted its new CEO’s in-depth experience across commercial and corporate aspects, and a track record of delivering throughout a project lifecycle.

Executive chairman Paul Summers said the company was delighted to have Paul on board at a crucial moment in the explorer’s development.

“Paul brings a wealth of experience, having delivered projects from discovery through to production, which will help to ensure Asra successfully delivers the next phase of its project development,” Summers said.

“The Board is confident that Paul has the necessary experience and skill set to optimise Asra’s existing assets and to maximise its strategic options so as to deliver shareholder value.”

Leonora landholding

Leonora is dominated by the $2bn plus businesses of Vault Minerals (ASX:VTM) and Genesis Minerals (ASX:GMD). But Asra has quietly accumulated 926km2 of territory it considers highly prospective for gold.

Its newly augmented leadership team has a springboard of mineralised structures and high-priority targets to explore at its Mt Stirling flagship and will soon have a better look at its recently acquired Kookynie East tenements with a drill campaign.

There is already a 152,000oz gold deposit in place at Mt Stirling, and for Asra, gold is the obvious immediate focus, with an ounce trading near record levels at over US$2600/oz (+$4000/oz).

With a well-stocked exploration war chest and low-lying market cap, Asra sees itself as well-positioned to capitalise off any success it might strike among the massive landholdings.

This article was developed in collaboration with Asra Minerals, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.