Burley Minerals Ltd (ASX:BUR) has a new managing director at the helm, with CEO Wayne Richards promoted to the board.
The incoming MD first joined the company as chief executive in December last year, meaning it’s been just two months since he took up the baton at the iron and base metals explorer.
Burley says Richards’ promotion bolsters to company’s technical and corporate expertise, and the new managing director brings considerable experience across project development and corporate financing.
There’s been other moves on the company board today, with technical director Gary Powell stepping down from his post.
As Richards takes his place on the board, Powell will remain on team in a consulting capacity and hand over his executive accountabilities.
“Noteworthy and decisive” leadership
Speaking to Richards’ appointment, Burley Minerals chairman Bryan Dixon said: “Wayne Richards' leadership since joining the Burley Minerals has been noteworthy and decisive.
“Wayne’s experience complements our current board and management team’s skills and experience well.
“Wayne continues to focus on the stakeholder engagement and transitioning into our maiden drilling campaign."
Dixon went on to thank technical director Gary Powell for his contribution to Burley since incorporation.
“Gary will continue to lead our exploration and resource definition efforts and make an important contribution to our ongoing evaluation studies,” he stated.
New MD
Burley’s incoming MD is no stranger to the boardroom.
In the past, He’s served as executive chairman and CEO of Tawana Resources, managing director of Brockman Resources (HKG:0.12) and executive project director of Minprovise International and Strike Resources (ASX:SRK) Ltd.
Richards has more than 35 years of study execution, project development, mining, mineral processing and corporate financing experience within the resource and mining service sectors.
The new MD has performed executive and non-executive roles with ASX-listed companies and has fulfilled senior executive roles with BHP and Anaconda Nickel.
Richards has also held non-executive directorships with both listed companies and joint ventures/alliances.
In his work with Brockman Resources, Richards was responsible for developing the 20-million-tonnes-per-annum Marillana Iron Ore Project in the Pilbara.
Prior to, and subsequent to this role, he fulfilled senior executive positions within BHP Billiton’s iron ore division, including deputy vice president of Boodarie Iron, and Asset Commissioning Leader, with direct responsibility for integrating projects across BHP’s three iron ore business sectors – mine, port and rail.
Richards was the former project commissioning and refinery operations manager for Anaconda Nickel’s Murrin Murrin Project and recently fulfilled the project director’s role for Strike Resources’ Iron Ore projects.
About Burley
Burley Minerals hit the local bourse in July 2021, determined to advance its flagship Yerecoin Project in WA.
The iron ore play has a JORC-compliant mineral resource of 247 million tonnes and a magnetite capability of producing a premium iron concentrate at more than 68% iron.
The Yerecoin Project is within the Jimperding Metamorphic Belt, which includes Chalice Mining's recently released tier-one scale maiden mineral resource for Gonneville.
Given these recent exploration successes, and the knowledge that cobalt-bearing nickel-copper sulphides have previously been identified within Yerecoin’s ultramafic rocks, Burley believes the geological setting and prospectivity of the Yerecoin Project are analogous to the Julimar-Gonneville discovery setting and represent an opportunity for the discovery of nickel-copper-platinum group element (PGE) mineralisation.
Since listing, Burley applied for three exploration licences (ELAs) in the Hamersley Iron Ore Province of Western Australia — the world’s largest iron ore production province.
The Broad Flat Well and Cane Bore ELA’s cover outcropping Channel Iron Deposit (CID) mineralisation, while the Hardey West ELA contains prospective stratigraphy for Bedded Iron Deposit (BID) mineralisation and is also prospective for base metal mineralisation.
All three tenements are in close proximity to existing mines and significant infrastructure including main roads, townsites and port facilities.