JOHN CUMMING

B.A., L.L.B., L.L.M. – EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN
Mr. Cumming holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of British Columbia and a Masters in Laws degree with specialty in corporate and commercial law from King’s College, University of London. Mr. Cumming has served as a director and officer of numerous public resource corporations since beginning his legal career in 1978. From 2005 to February 2017 Mr. Cumming served as Executive Vice-President and CFO of Merrex Gold Inc., a company that was active in the West African gold space for over 12 years. In 2008 Mr. Cumming negotiated the Merrex-IAMGOLD exploration Joint Venture deal which in 2014 discovered the Diakha gold deposit in West Mali. In December 2016 Mr. Cumming lead both the Merrex negotiating team and the transaction legal team that successfully negotiated and concluded the sale of Merrex to IAMGOLD Corporation in the $43 million share takeover deal that closed February 28, 2017. (Merrex Gold News Release December 22, 2016)

 

J. FRANÇOIS LALONDE

ENG. (B.SC. CIVIL ENGINEERING) – PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
An engineer by profession, Mr. Lalonde has acquired more than 25 years of experience on the international scene working for major engineering and construction multinationals such as SNC-Lavalin, Groupe Pomerleau and Bouygues TP, a French organization where he currently acts as International Business Development Consultant. He has particular knowledge of markets in Africa, the Middle East, United States and Canada, where he has notably participated in large-scale energy, motorway and other infrastructure development projects. Mr. Lalonde serves on the Board of Directors of other public companies listed on the TSX Venture Exchange.

 

YASSINE BELKABIR

CEng, MIMMM, MSc DIC – DIRECTOR
Mr Belkabir, of Casablanca, Morocco is a chartered engineer with a Diploma in engineering from INPT-ENSEEIHT and a master’s Degree in Metals and Energy Finance from Imperial College, University of London. Mr Belkabir is the founder and managing partner of the African Bureau of Mining Consultants (ABM) of Casablanca, Morocco. He served previously as Director of Mergers and Acquisitions for Managem Group, a publicly traded mining group listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange. Mr Belkabir supervised multiple transactions in Africa, including Stellar’s acquisition of the Tichka Est Gold Project in Morocco, the successful sale of Stellar’s own Balandougou Gold Project in Guinea, and for Managem Group, the sale of Pumpi Copper-Cobalt Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the acquisition for the Tri-K Gold Project in Guinea. He is also a Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) London, England, and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Mr Belkabir has extensive experience assessing mineral properties and managing multidisciplinary teams.

 

LAUREN MCCRAE

DIRECTOR – Ms McCrae is an award-winning public affairs and brand researcher. She is multilingual and holds a BA in International Studies from Glendon College, York University, Toronto, a Masters  in International Security from the Paris Institute of Political Studies (SciencesPo), Paris, and a MSc in International Political Economy with distinction from the London School of Economics and Political Science, London. During her career she has served as: Senior Consultant, Policy & Evaluation Unit of Ipsos MORI, London; Senior Researcher for One World Trust, London, where she investigated and reported on the accountability of international organizations including the World Bank, World Health Organization and World Trade Organization; Policy Analyst for The Serco Institute, a London-based think tank producing research endorsed by the British Cabinet Office; and as Researcher for the 2020 Public Services Trust, London, delivering large research projects on public service reforms during which time she reported to high-profile, cross-party Trustees including five members of the House of Lords. Ms McCrae has authored and co-authored several published papers on public policy and research methodology.

 

AYDEN  VERHULST

DIRECTOR – Ms Verhulst is a business advisor and brand researcher, and Vice-President and co-owner of The Sentis Group. Ms Verhulst holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University and a Master of Arts degree with Distinction from King’s College, University of London, England. As VP of The Sentis Group Ms Verhulst advises businesses and financial institutions on brand positioning, customer and employee relationships and data analysis.

 

JOHN RYAN

CGA — DIRECTOR
Mr. Ryan has more than 35 years of experience in financial and corporate management. He is also President and Chief Executive Officer of Spruce Ridge Resources Ltd.