Blue Star Helium Ltd (ASX:BNL) (OTCMKTS:AZZEF) has appointed Trent Spry, who is recognised as one of the few highly skilled helium explorationists in the world, as managing director and CEO, effective from April 14, 2021.
Spry, who has been an executive director of Blue Star since April 2019, is a qualified geoscientist with more than 25 years of practical experience in the oil, gas and helium resources industries covering exploration, appraisal, operations and new ventures.
He possesses considerable business development and corporate experience, undertaking capital raisings and strategy formulation and implementation, including divestments and acquisitions.
This includes taking numerous projects from concept or acquisition through to discovery, appraisal, and successful development or divestment, across the US onshore and Gulf of Mexico, Australia and South-East Asia.
“Driving world-class helium portfolio”
Blue Star executive chairman Ross Warner said: “We are pleased to appoint a resource professional with the specific experience and expertise of Trent to the role of managing director and CEO.
“To have already had such a leading candidate working within our business is an excellent position from which to make such an appointment.
“We look forward to him driving our world-class helium portfolio through exploration towards targeted development and cash flow.”
“Substantial contribution”
This appointment follows the departure of Blue Star’s previous managing director Joanne Kendrick, from the Blue Star business.
Kendrick leaves the company having overseen the acquisition of its extensive existing helium acreage and delineation of resources across the Las Animas portfolio.
Warner said: “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Joanne, on behalf of all shareholders, for her hard work and substantial contribution over this transformational period for Blue Star.”
Spry’s experience
Spry is a highly skilled helium explorationist who was invited to be a founding member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) EMD Critical Minerals Sub-Committee on Helium.
He has been integral in implementing the company’s current helium strategy, which includes a comprehensive screening of the United States before recommending Las Animas County as the focus area.
His management of Blue Star’s subsequent ground-up prospect generation and leasing strategy has resulted in the definition of a current total net P50 prospective helium resource of 9.6 billion cubic feet across five assessed prospects in the Las Animas portfolio.
This has demonstrated the world-class nature of Blue Star’s tenure and repositioned the business as a leading proponent in the helium development space.
Spry will continue to work closely with Blue Star’s US-based team of consulting personnel, which includes a team of Denver-based landmen, permitting and environmental specialists, operations and drilling engineer, and leading Colorado resource law firm Welborn Sullivan Meck & Tooley.
New non-executive director
Blue Star has also appointed Neil Rinaldi, an executive leader and finance professional with more than 20 years of experience, as a non-executive director.
He has considerable expertise in capital raising, asset acquisition and disposals, company structuring and positioning companies for growth.
Rinaldi is the chief executive officer of International Graphite, an unlisted downstream graphite processing business with pending operations in Collie, Western Australia.
Before this, he was a non-executive director of Brainchip Holdings Limited (ASX:BRN), an artificial intelligence business, and an executive director of Aziana Limited (ASX:AZK), a multi-commodity exploration business with assets in Madagascar and Louisiana.
He was also previously the managing director of Truestone Capital Limited, a London-based corporate advisory firm focused on delivering results for companies in the Australian resources sector.
“Highly relevant expertise"
Warner said: “I would like to warmly welcome Neil to the Blue Star team.
“We are pleased to have attracted a non-executive director of Neil’s considerable and highly relevant expertise.
“His experience complements the existing board skills matrix nicely and we look forward to his valuable contributions going forward.”
The company expects to submit its first permit application, under the COGCC’s newly implemented rules, for the Enterprise prospect in the coming days.