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Over 30 years' experience in the mining industry.

Over 30 years' experience in the mining industry.

Over 30 years' experience in the mining industry.

Mike Richards, Managing Director

Mike has over 30 years’ experience in minerals exploration and mining industry.  He has a BSc. (Hons Class 1) from University of Melbourne (1980) and is a member of a number of professional bodies including the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, Society of Economic Geology, Society for Applied Study of Mineral Deposits, Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Mineralogical association of Canada & is a Graduate of the Australian Institute company Directors.

 

In recent times Mike was a member of the Equinox Minerals Limited leadership team that took the Lumwana Copper project (Zambia) from undeveloped resource (1999) to one of the largest open cut copper mines in Africa.  This resulted in Equinox growing from a small cap junior to significant mid–tier copper producer which was subsequently taken-over by Barrack Gold (2011) for US$8.3 billion with a copper Mineral Resource of greater than two billion tonnes at 0.6% Cu. 

Mike's experience includes:

Technical geology / exploration management

  • project generation and evaluation;

  • development and implementation of exploration and resource definition technical procedures and protocols;

  • QA/QC of technical geoscientific data;

  • training and mentoring of geoscientific professionals and field technicians in exploration and mine environments;

  • provision of technical geological support and expertise to field and office based project teams;

  • technical leadership in governance and compliance related to ASX and TSX listing and public reporting of exploration and mineral resources information, including SEDAR Technical Report compilation.

  • applied economic geology R&D including single and multi-client collaboration with research institutions.

 

Project management - experienced in planning and implementing exploration projects from grass roots, near mine and development in both Australia and Africa (Zambia). Key areas include:

  • exploration team management and supervision through to development;

  • personnel management, mentoring and motivation and training;

  • recruiting and interviewing of technical and support field staff;

  • tendering, contact negotiations and supervision of contractor services including drilling, geoscientific, metallurgical and engineering consultants and contractors;

  • Joint Venture negotiations and management as both operator and partner;

  • project farm-in and farm-out evaluation, acquisition and selling;

  • permitting and access negotiation;

  • community and landowner liaising and negotiating;

  • planning for and establishment of stand-alone field camps (up to 100 personnel).

  • logistical management and support including travel, rosters, capital equipment supply, import and export.

  • preparation of work programs, scope of work, budgets and supervision of accounts.

  • reporting to Executive and Board teams.

 

Other:

  • Extensive exploration experience in the Central African Copperbelt (15 years, Zambia) and most of the major mineral provinces of Australia including the Yilgarn, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Kimberley, Mt Isa and Gawler Terranes.  From grass roots to advanced projects including resource definition and feasibility studies.

  • Wide ranging commodity based exploration experience dominated by copper-cobalt, gold, and uranium, but also including lead-zinc, platinum group elements, nickel, rare earth elements and diamond exploration.

  • Project generation and project evaluation.

 

Career Summary

2011 – 2013

Barrick (Australia Pacific) Limited

Chief Geologist

 

Technical geoscience support for Barrick’s Zambian and Saudi Arabia exploration teams consisting of 40 geoscientists.

 

2007 - 2011

Equinox Minerals Limited

Exploration Manager Africa & then Chief Geologist

 

Highlights include:

  • 1997 – 1999: Management of the US$12 million Zambezi Joint Venture  with Anglo American Corporation to explore Zambia for IOCG & sediment hosted copper-cobalt;

  • 1999 – 2006: Management of all geoscientific activities related to the Lumwana copper project prefeasibility, bankable feasibility and definitive feasibility study that lead to the successful development of the Lumwana Copper Mine in 2008;

  • 2007 – 2011: Chief Geologist responsible for all technical geoscience activities in the company providing technical support in Zambia and Saudi Arabia for the exploration and mine geoscience team of ~30 geoscientists.

 

1996 – 1997 

Equinox Resources NL 

Exploration Manager Western Australia

 

Gold exploration Yilgarn craton, WA.

 

1995 – 1996 

Forrestania Gold NL 

Senior Exploration Geologist Gold

 

Gold and Nickel exploration in the Lake Johnstone
greenstone belt, WA.

 

 

1992 – 1994 

MIM Exploration Limited

Exploration Manager Tick Hill District

 

Responsible for brown fields’ exploration around the Tick Hill Gold Mine.

 

1987 – 1992

Pancontinental Mining Limited

Senior Gold Geologist – Western Australia

 

Gold and PGE exploration in Western Australia outside the Eastern Goldfields, focusing on the Murchison. Key achievement the grassroots discovery of the Mt Townsend gold deposit, Murchison, WA.

 

1986 – 1987

Freeport Exploration

Exploration Geologist

 

Gold exploration in the Yilgarn Craton, WA.

 

1982 – 1986

CRA Exploration Limited

Exploration Geologist

 

Base metal, gold, PGE, REE and uranium exploration with the highlights including: resource definition geologist on the Argyle Diamond Mine Bankable Feasibility Study in Kimberley, WA and a member of the discovery team of the Kintrye uranium deposit, Great Sandy Desert, WA.

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