SOLSTICE MINERALS - Key Persons


Alastair Morrison

Job Titles:
  • Executive Director
  • Non - Executive Director of OreCorp Limited
Mr Morrison is a geologist and finance professional with more than 30 years' experience in mineral exploration and investment. He initially worked for more than six years in Australia as an exploration geologist in WA and the Northern Territory. His experience in WA included both mine and exploration geology roles at the Wiluna, Lawlers and Bellevue gold mines, as well as early-stage exploration work in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions. In the Northern Territory he worked for North Flinders Mines at Dead Bullock Soak during resource definition and early development of the >10 million ounce Callie gold deposit. He later managed the North Flinders exploration team in the NW Arunta region. From 1996 to 2003 he was Exploration Manager in Tanzania for East African Gold Mines Limited at the North Mara Gold Project. During that time, the exploration team at East African Gold Mines delineated more than 5 million ounces of resources, including the discovery of the high-grade Gokona gold deposit. In later years, he had additional responsibilities for all in-country development activities, through feasibility and permitting until the commencement of construction. East African Gold Mines was acquired by Placer Dome Inc. in mid-2003 for US$252 million. Since 2004, he has worked as an analyst and portfolio manager for a family office investment fund. He has also been involved on the board of various private companies with exploration interests in South America. Mr Morrison was a non-executive director of ASX-listed E2 Metals Limited from 2019 until 2021. Mr Morrison has been a non-executive director of OreCorp Limited since 27 February 2013 and a director of the Company since 24 September 2021, taking on the role of Executive Director from 2 May 2022.

Dr Mark Alvin

Job Titles:
  • Exploration Manager
Dr Alvin is a geologist with over 20 years professional experience in multi-commodity minerals exploration in Australia, Africa and North America. He has held global and country level leadership roles of cross-functional exploration and pre-development teams for over 15 years with companies including Nyrstar, Rio Tinto, Strandline Resources and MRG Metals. Dr Alvin has international management experience in generative and advanced exploration, through order-of-magnitude and feasibility studies related to gold, base-metal, coal and titanium-zircon heavy mineral sand deposits. He has been a member of exploration teams at Geita, Yaramoko and Buhemba gold deposits plus production at the Myra Falls and Langlois polymetallic gold-silver-lead-zinc mines. Dr Alvin was awarded the Rio Tinto Exploration Discovery Award in 2009 for the Mutamba titanium-zircon heavy mineral deposit discovery in Mozambique. He is multi-lingual with fluency in Kiswahili and Portuguese and has completed postgraduate studies in occupational safety and health risk management. Dr Alvin commenced with OreCorp Limited in October 2020 as Exploration Manager (Western Australia), taking on the role of Exploration Manager at the Company from 22 April 2022.

Jessica O'Hara - Secretary

Job Titles:
  • Company Secretary
  • OreCorp Limited As Legal Counsel
Ms O'Hara is a corporate lawyer with extensive experience advising clients on general corporate law and regulatory/compliance issues. She has previously held senior positions at both Clayton Utz and Allen & Overy and more recently, had experience acting as in-house legal counsel. Ms O'Hara has advised a significant number of ASX-listed clients with operations in Australia and overseas, with specific experience within the mining and resources sectors. Ms O'Hara joined OreCorp Limited as legal counsel in August 2021 and was appointed joint company secretary on 6 December 2021 (and subsequently became sole company secretary as from 31 January 2022). Ms O'Hara was appointed company secretary of Solstice Minerals on 24 September 2021. Ms O'Hara provides services to Solstice Minerals by way of the Transitional Services Agreement between the Company and OreCorp.

Matthew Yates - Chairman

Job Titles:
  • Non - Executive Chairman
  • Executive Chairman of OreCorp Limited
Mr Yates is an accomplished exploration geologist with 35 years' industry experience, covering all facets of exploration from generative work to project development. This includes nine years in the Goldfields of WA. He managed highly successful exploration teams at Nimary-(Jundee) in WA and also completed extensive gold exploration programs in the Murchison, Wheat Belt and Pilbara regions of WA. Prior to founding OreCorp Limited, he was the Managing Director of OmegaCorp and Joint Managing Director of Mantra Resources Limited. He has been instrumental in the acquisition of the key assets in all the companies he has managed, including the assets of Solstice Minerals. Mr Yates has planned, managed and executed significant gold, base metal and mineral sand projects in Australia, Central Asia, the Gulf Region and southern, east and west Africa. Mr Yates is Executive Chairman of OreCorp Limited. He has been a non-executive director of the Company since 27 February 2013, taking on the role of Non-Executive Chairman from 16 November 2022.

Mike Klessens

Job Titles:
  • Non - Executive Director
Mr Klessens is a CPA with over 30 years' practical financial and management experience, particularly within the resources industry. This experience has involved all areas of corporate and treasury management, project financing, capital raisings, mergers and acquisitions, dual listings, feasibility studies and establishment of systems and procedures for new mining operations. Mr Klessens has been a non-executive of OreCorp Limited since 27 February 2013 and a non-executive director of the Company since 28 January 2022.

Robert Rigo

Job Titles:
  • Engineer
  • Non - Executive Director
  • Non - Executive Director of OreCorp Limited
Mr Rigo is an engineer with over 40 years' experience. His initial professional work was in operations with WMC in the Eastern Goldfields of WA at Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter, Kambalda Nickel Operations, Windarra Nickel Operations and Lancefield Gold Project. This was followed by operations roles at Christmas Island Phosphate and then the Mill Manager at Boddington Gold Mine (at that time, Australia's largest gold mine). He then moved into project development and became General Manager - Technical Services for Newcrest Mining Ltd, Australia's major gold producer. Mr Rigo joined Equinox Minerals Limited in 2001 and became Vice President - Project Development, where he managed the technical aspects of the development of the Lumwana Copper Mine in Zambia, which commenced production in 2008. Following Lumwana, Mr Rigo managed the construction of the Jabal Sayid (underground) Copper Mine in Saudi Arabia initially for Equinox and then Barrick. Mr Rigo has been a non-executive director of OreCorp Limited since 1 April 2016 and a non-executive director of the Company since 28 January 2022.

Tania Cheng - CFO

Job Titles:
  • Chartered Accountant
  • Chief Financial Officer
Mrs Cheng is a Chartered Accountant who commenced her career in a large Chartered Accounting firm and who has over 25 years of financial and corporate experience, primarily in the resources sector. Mrs Cheng's involvement with OreCorp Limited commenced in 2012, holding senior finance roles within OreCorp from September 2016 to February 2018 and since September 2019. She was appointed Chief Financial Officer on 22 July 2021. Mrs Cheng provides services to Solstice Minerals by way of the Transitional Services Agreement between the Company and OreCorp.