Predictive Discovery Ltd has made a number of key appointments to strengthen its board and management team as it progresses the 5.38-million-ounce Bankan Gold Project in Guinea through permitting and development.
Alberto Lavandeira has joined the board as a non-executive director, bringing more than 45 years of development and operating experience across gold, copper and industrial minerals in Africa and Europe.
In another board change, Sandra Bates transitions from non-executive director to executive director – Legal and ESG to strengthen the company’s in-house legal, ESG and permitting expertise.
Henk Diederichs joins Predictive as chief operating officer to advance the Bankan Project through the definitive feasibility study (DFS) phase and into development and operations.
“Depth of expertise”
Managing director Andrew Pardey said: “The ongoing strengthening of the board and management team is critical to our strategy of developing the Tier-1 Bankan Project in Guinea, currently the largest gold development project in Africa.
“Sandra’s transition to executive and Henk’s appointment adds considerable depth of expertise as PDI enters the permitting phase of the Bankan Project, as well as completing the Definitive Feasibility Study in 2025.
“Alberto brings significant project expertise to the board and I look forward to his valuable contributions as we embark upon the next phase of PDI’s growth strategy.”
Alberto Lavandeira appointed
Lavandeira brings more than 45 years of experience operating and developing mining projects to the company.
He is currently CEO and executive director of LSE-listed copper producer Atalaya Mining, which he joined in 2014 as COO and has been instrumental in developing, expanding and operating the 15 million tonnes per annum Riotinto copper operation in Spain.
Formerly, he was president, CEO and COO of Rio Narcea Gold Mines which permitted, financed and built three mines including Aguablanca (nickel-copper) and El Vallés-Boinas (gold) in Spain and Tasiast (gold) in Mauritania. He was also involved in the key stages of development of the Mutanda Copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Earlier in his career, Lavandeira worked within group companies of Anglo American, Rio Tinto and Cominco (now Teck). He is currently also a non-executive director of ASX-listed Black Dragon Gold Corp.
Sandra Bates transitions
Sandra Bates has become executive director – Legal and ESG, transitioning from her current role of non-executive director.
Under an additional consultancy arrangement, Bates played a key role in the recent finalisation of PDI’s Environmental & Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and will strengthen the company’s in-house capability across legal, ESG and permitting.
Bates is an international lawyer and public company director with more than 25 years of top-tier private practice and in-house experience advising management teams and boards of listed and private companies in Europe, North America and Africa.
She is a risk assessment and ESG specialist and brings extensive experience of guiding companies in the natural resources sector through complex negotiations often with a cross-cultural element.
Most recently, Bates was general counsel of TSX-V listed Elemental Altus Royalties Corp. and was previously a partner at Canadian firm Stikeman Elliott LLP and other international firms where for 15+ years she focused on M&A and financing matters for mining companies globally. She is recognised by international legal consultancy Chambers and Partners as a mining law expert.
Bates is also an experienced ESG/sustainability committee chair and is currently non-executive director (and Audit Committee chair) of ASX/LSE-listed Adriatic Metals Plc.
Following these appointments, the PDI board comprises executive directors Andrew Pardey and Sandra Bates and three independent non-executive directors Simon Jackson, Steven Michael and Alberto Lavandeira.
COO appointment
PDI has also made a key management team appointment with Henk Diederichs joining as chief operating officer (COO).
In this role, he will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of the DFS and advancing the Bankan Gold Project into development and operations.
Diederichs is an engineer with more than 20 years of experience in the mining industry and particular expertise in project development and operations.
Most recently, he was CEO and managing director of OreCorp Limited, which was advancing the Nyanzaga Gold Project in Tanzania until the recent acquisition by Perseus Mining Limited.
He initially joined OreCorp as vice president Project Development in 2016, before moving into the role of COO in 2021 followed by CEO and managing director in late 2022. He was instrumental in leading the Nyanzaga Project through the scoping, pre-feasibility study and definitive feasibility study phases.
Diederichs was formerly senior vice president of operations for West African producer Allied Gold Corp, which operates the Bonikro, Agbaou and Sadiola gold mines. He also played an integral role in the successful development and operation of Equinox Minerals’ Lumwana Copper Mine in Zambia.
During this time, Lumwana developed into one of Africa’s largest open-cut copper mines at a capital cost exceeding US$800 million before the acquisition of Equinox by Barrick Gold Corp for $7 billion in 2011.