New Summit CEO’s downstream lithium experience ‘key to unlocking shareholder value’

Summit appoints experienced lithium and battery metals executive Jiahe Gower He as CEO
Gower previously held roles with Mitsui & Co, Delta Lithium and Equinox Resources
Lithium experience a huge benefit a Summit explores flagship Castor project in Canada

Summit Minerals has appointed veteran battery metals executive Jiahe Gower He as CEO to spearhead its rare earths and lithium hunt.

Summit has two exciting projects in the portfolio: Stallion (rare earths) in WA, and Castor (lithium) in the popular James Bay hard rock province in Quebec, Canada.

Stallion is quickly emerging as a project “of size and scale”, with a recent 14-hole drilling campaign returning up to 1,664ppm TREO and confirming widespread mineralisation which remains open along strike to the north.

Meanwhile early stage exploration is underway at the recently acquired Castor, where a total of 228 interpreted pegmatite occurrences have been identified within Castor from satellite imagery.

Gower: A lithium industry veteran

New CEO Gower He held various senior positions at Mitsui & Co (Australia) for over 16 years, overseeing Mitsui’s strategic trade and investment activities across a variety of commodities including lithium, nickel, and other battery related minerals.

He was also a executive director of Delta Lithium (ASX:DLI) during the company’s transformation from a junior gold explorer to a recognised Aussie lithium player.

Prior to joining Summit Minerals (ASX:SUM), Gower was also CEO of Equinox Resources (ASX:EQN), and expanded his exposure to the EV industry in Canada.

Lithium knowledge a boost at Castor project

Gower’s experience could bode well for the company, who recently kicked off field exploration for lithium-bearing pegmatites at its 80% owned Castor project.

The project is on the Yasinski Lake Greenstone Belt which hosts notable deposits like Q2 Metals’ (TSX- V:QTWO) Mia lithium project, which recorded 18 grab samples averaging 2.65% with results of up to 4.37% Li20, and Ophir Gold’s (TSX-V:OPHR) Radis lithium project, which hosts rock chips up to 2.33% Li20.

“We are confident that [Gower’s] vast and diverse experience and network within the resources sector will be key to unlocking shareholder value at our company as we continue to progress our array of exciting projects,’ chairman Peretz Schapiro said.

Valuable experience with downstream OEMs

At Mitsui, Gower led the West Australian metals and minerals unit, managing stakeholder engagements at various levels within the mining industry, both domestically and internationally.

During his time, he engaged in various trade and investment activities with Australian lithium miners, as well as, Chinese converters and various downstream players and OEMs in China, Japan, Korea, Europe, and the US, who are involved in the Electric Vehicle (EV) value chain.

“I am extremely delighted to join such an esteemed and motivated team at Summit and look forward to progressing the company’s assets in the battery mineral sector,” Gower said.

“Canada is the next lithium frontier and an important region for Summit to focus on to maximise return to our loyal shareholders. Exciting times ahead.”

This article was developed in collaboration with Summit 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.