GR Silver Mining (TSX-V:GRSL) Ltd announced several board and management changes aimed at positioning the company for growth under current tough market conditions.
The Vancouver-based junior mineral exploration company said it had accepted the resignation of board member Gino DeMichele for personal reasons. DeMichele has been a director of the Mexico-focused company and its predecessor company since April 2017, providing “valuable guidance and support over the many years”, said GR Silver.
With DeMichele’s departure, GR added two new directors Fernando Berdegué de Cima and Trevor Woolfe.
Berdegué is a Mazatlán-based entrepreneur and the founding partner and CEO of Durango Gold Corp, a private US-based mining exploration company. He was a co-founder and strategic advisor to Tonogold Resources Inc, which consolidated the historic Comstock Lode in Nevada.
According to GR, he brings a diverse range of experiences and interests related to sustainability, governance, venture capital, and responsible mining to the board. He is familiar with Mexican business as a member of the advisory board of the family business El Cid Mega Resorts, in Mazatlán, Mexico.
“Berdegué, together with current director Laura Diaz, strengthens the board's knowledge and experience in carrying out business in Mexico,” noted the Canadian company.
Meanwhile, Woolfe, who also joins the board, has been the company's former VP of exploration and corporate development. He joined GR in July 2018 and had been a huge asset to the geological team with his knowledge of mineralization at the Plomosas project in Sinaloa, Mexico’s high-grade silver district.
Together with the current exploration team, Woolfe was key to the recent high-grade silver SE Area discovery in the San Marcial Area, supporting the company's resource growth over the last three years. Woolfe left the company to return to his native Australia.
He holds a Bachelor of Science Honours degree, majoring in geology, from Monash University in Australia. Prior to joining GR, he had 25 years of exploration, mining, and public company management experience, including positions with Australian companies CRA, Metana Minerals NL and Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX:NCM), as well as four years with Canadian major Placer Dome in Chile and Brazil. He is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and the Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
In addition, GR said had accepted the resignation of its CFO Samantha Shorter for personal reasons. Blaine Bailey, the company's former CFO who retired in May this year has agreed to return to GR as interim CFO with Shorter's continued support.
"I wish to thank Gino DeMichele for his exceptional support since the company's inception. Thank you also to Samantha Shorter for her recent contributions,” said Eric Zaunscherb, the chair of the company’s board.
“I am very pleased to welcome Blaine Bailey back in the role of CFO, knowing the company intimately as he does. We are honoured to have Fernando Berdegué and Trevor Woolfe joining our board. Fernando brings an intimate understanding of the Mexican business milieu and a passion for developing Mexican mining assets…while Trevor's knowledge and experience and recent discovery of the SE Area, will provide valuable input in the strategic planning and growth of resources at the Plomosas project."
Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com
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