With the appointment of a Project Development Manager for its Mexican operations, Azure Minerals (ASX: AZS) will facilitate a faster progression from an exploration company to a minerals producer.
Gary Leighton, a mining engineer with extensive project management experience, will also lead the development of the Company’s San Francisco Manganese Project, located in the state of Jalisco, Mexico.
Azure recently acquired the high grade San Francisco Manganese Mine, which contains a non-JORC compliant Foreign Resource estimate.
Leighton has held senior positions with major international mining companies in South America, including: BHP Minerals as manager of engineering & construction at the Escondida Copper Mine in Chile and Placer Dome & Outukumpu Copper as general manager of development at the Zalvidar Copper Mine in Chile.
He was also responsible for the rehabilitation and resumption of mining and processing operations at the Carmen open pit and underground copper mine in the Philippines (2007-2010), and the high grade Tamaya underground copper-gold mine in Chile (2004-2006).
Azure executive chairman Tony Rovira said with Leighton's experience in the rehabilitation, development and construction of mining projects throughout Latin America, it enhance Azure's capacity to develop a mining and processing operation.