Board of Directors

Colin Bird – Executive Chairman

 

Colin is a chartered mining engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining with more than 40 years’ experience in resource operations management, corporate management, and finance.  Colin has multi commodity mine management experience in Africa, Spain, Latin America and the Middle East. He has been the prime mover in a number of public company listings in the UK, Canada and South Africa. His most notable achievement was founding Kiwara Resources Plc and selling its prime asset, a copper property in Northern Zambia, to First Quantum Minerals for US$260 million in January 2010.

Raju Samtani – Finance Director

 

Raju is currently also finance director of Bezant Resources Plc, listed on AIM. His previous experience includes three years as Group Financial Controller at marketing services agency WTS Group Limited, where he was appointed by the Virgin Group to oversee their investment in the WTS Group Ltd. He was also involved as founder shareholder and finance director of Kiwara Plc which was acquired by First Quantum Minerals Ltd in January 2010. Over the last few years, he has been involved in senior managerial positions for several AIM/Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed companies predominantly in the resource sector and has also been involved in FCA compliance work within the investment business sector.

Christian Cordier – Business Development Director

 

Christian has had considerable involvement in corporate finance and investments in both public and private mining and exploration companies for over 25 years. His portfolio includes joint ventures with major international mining houses, investments in listed companies in the United Kingdom, Australia and Southern Africa as well as private mining operations. He has extensive experience in sourcing natural resource projects and nurturing them through the value curve by packaging and arranging venture funding, managing the permitting and exploration process, negotiating off-take agreements and the formation of a strong management team. He worked as CFO and senior accountant as well as company secretary for private and public companies and is a member of SA Institute for Professional Accountants (“SAIPA”). Christian has done transactions in Coal, Platinum Group Metals, Chrome, Copper, Potash, Phosphates, Diamonds, Gold, Lithium and Manganese. Christian focuses on business development and wealth creation for private and publicly listed companies in the mining and exploration sector.

Kjeld Thygesen – Independent Non-Executive Director

 

Kjeld Thygesen is mining investment veteran of more than 45 years. After being a mining analyst at James Capel in the latter half of the 1970’s he was manager of the commodities department at Rothschild Asset Management between 1980-89. In 1990 he formed Lion Resource Advisors (LRA) as a specialist adviser in the mining and natural resource sectors. LRA was the advisor to the Midas Fund in the US between 1992 – 2000, which was one of the top performing finds during that period. From 2002-2008 he was Investment director of Resources Investment Trust Limited, a London listed investment trust which returned a threefold investment during that period. He has served on several mining company boards over the past twenty years.

James Cunningham-Davis – Non-Executive Director

 

James Cunningham-Davis is a qualified Solicitor who is currently non-practising. He is the Founder and Managing Director of Cavendish Trust Company Limited and Cavendish Secretaries Limited, both of which are based in the Isle of Man. These companies deliver a wide range of professional services to an extensive portfolio of private companies as well as numerous publicly listed entities. Their client base spans multiple industries and jurisdictions, with a particular emphasis on the Natural Resources and Mining, Technology, and Property sectors. He has accumulated more than twenty-five years of experience working within the international legal, corporate finance, and professional services industries. Over the course of his career, he has held numerous directorships in both privately held and publicly traded companies.