Board of Directors and Advisors

David Laing is a mining executive and engineer with 40 years of experience in mining operations and construction, project development, consulting, mining finance, corporate development & M&A, and investor relations. During his career, Mr. Laing has held multiple executive positions in precious and base metals companies. Mr. Laing served as Executive VP of Technical Services and Senior VP of Operations for Endeavour Mining from 2010-2014 and was a key member of the team in implementing the development strategy of the company. He has also held positions as COO of Equinox Gold Corp, True Gold Mining Inc., and Quintana Resources. Additionally, he has held senior positions at Standard Bank and Endeavour Financial. His previous experience also includes roles at MRDI, BHP Billiton and Royal Dutch Shell's mining business. Mr. Laing currently serves as Chairman of Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. and a Director of Northern Dynasty Minerals, Blackrock Silver Corp and Amarillo Gold Corp.

Mr. Laing has a BSc Mining Engineering (Honors) from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College at the University of London, England.

George Ogilvie, has over 30 years of management, operating and technical experience in the mining industry. Mr. Ogilvie was until most recently the President & CEO of Battle North, a position he was appointed to, in 2016 whilst the company was under financial insolvency & restructuring proceedings. During his 5 year tenure at Battle North, Mr. Ogilvie and his team successfully completed a turnaround of the company resulting in an increase in the resource base from 400 k ounces Au to approximately 1.3 million oz Au, completion of a positive bulk mining reconciliation program resulting in de-risking of the project, delivery of a preliminary economic assessment and follow on feasibility study in relation to the project with a post-tax IRR of 50% and completion debt and equity financing of over C$100m associated with project construction. Battle North was acquired by Evolution Mining Limited in May 2021 at a 45% premium to the prevailing spot price. Prior to this, Mr. Ogilvie was the CEO of Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. where he and his team implemented a turnaround strategy which included, amongst other items, improving operations at the Macassa Mine and the acquisition of St. Andrew Goldfields, resulting in significant returns for shareholders. Previously, Mr. Ogilvie was the CEO of Rambler Metals and Mining PLC, where he and his team guided the evolution of the company from grassroots exploration to a profitable junior producer. Mr. Ogilvie began his mining career in 1989 with AngloGold in South Africa and he subsequently held other roles at the Ruttan Mine in Northern Manitoba for HudBay Minerals Inc., the McCreedy West Mine and also as Area Manager for Dynatec Corporation. Currently, Mr. Ogilvie also serves on the board of Rupert Resources Ltd.

Mr. Ogilvie received his B.Sc. (Hons.) in Mining and Petroleum Engineering from Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland. He is a Professional Engineer and also holds his Mine Managers Certificate (South Africa). 

A CPA Fellow (FCPA, FCA) with over 25 years of experience, Isabella Bertani has worked extensively with both private and public companies in numerous industry sectors including manufacturing, food processing, technology, telecommunications, mining and mining related industries, biotech, and retail and distribution. Founder and Chief Strategist at BERTANI, Isabella has held senior positions at Deloitte LLP and a mid-market firm and is a former director of the McMichael Canadian Art Foundation and the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation. She is a recognized leader in foreign direct investment (FDI), routinely advising global corporations with regards to expansion into the North American market and her clients include numerous foreign subsidiaries of significant global entities. Isabella is a frequent speaker on topics relating to globalization including doing business in Canada, trade agreements, global trade and migration, and the impact of geopolitical trends on global foreign direct investment and global trade. She has a particular interest in FDI and its impact on global sustainability. Isabella is a passionate advocate for women in business and in economic development and has held several roles in women’s leadership. In 2019, Isabella was the recipient of the Joanna Townsend Excellence Award for Leadership in International Trade by the Organization of Women in International Trade in Toronto. 

She was bestowed the honour of Fellow of the Professional Accountants of Ontario in 2017, the highest distinction conferred on its members.

Isabella is a graduate of York University’s prestigious Schulich School of Business holding both a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master of Business Administration with a focus in policy and finance.

Alan Edwards has more than 35 years of operations and executive mining industry experience. During the course of his career, he has overseen the development and operations of world class base and precious metals deposits in the Americas. Mr. Edwards is currently the President of AE Resources Corp., an Arizona based company. He formerly led Oracle Mining Corporation (CEO), Copper One Inc. (President and CEO), Frontera Copper Corporation (President & CEO) and Apex Silver Corporation (COO). Currently, Mr. Edwards serves as a Non-Executive Director for Americas Gold and Silver Corporation, Entrée Resources Ltd. and Elevation Gold Mining Corp. Mr. Edwards has previously held the positions of Non-Executive Chairman of the Boards for Tonogold Resources Inc.,Orvana Minerals Corp, Mason Resources Corp. (until its acquisition by Hudbay Minerals Inc.), Rise Gold Corp., AQM Copper Inc. (until its acquisition by Teck Resources Ltd.) and AuRico Gold Inc. Mr. Edwards began his career at Phelps Dodge Mining Company in Ajo, Arizona.

Mr. Edwards has Bachelor of Science Degree in Mining Engineering and an MBA (Finance) from the University of Arizona.

Mark Palmer is a mine finance executive with 26 years of experience in the financial industry and was previously directly involved with mining companies in Australia. In 1994, Mr. Palmer joined NM Rothschild & Sons Limited in the London mining finance team assessing mines and projects globally. In 1997, he moved to the investment banking team at UBS to focus on global mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financing in the mining sector. Mr. Palmer ran the EMEA mining team at UBS for 8 years. In 2014, he joined Canaccord Genuity Corp. as Vice Chairman responsible for the mining sector coverage. Mr. Palmer joined the Tembo group in 2015 and currently serves as a Partner. Mr. Palmer currently sits on the board of Orion Minerals Ltd.

Mark Palmer has a B.Sc. in Mining Geology from University College Cardiff.

Sarah Strunk practices in business and finance law, with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, finance transactions, corporate governance, international sales contracts and exploration projects. Throughout her decorated 37-year law career, she has represented numerous clients in the mining and natural resource industry. She has been the Chair of the Board of Directors of Fennemore Craig since 2015, a Mountain West Law Firm. Prior to joining Fennemore, Ms. Strunk was Chief Corporate Counsel to the copper and molybdenum division of Cyprus Amax Minerals Company (1992-2000). She has served on the Board of the Arizona Mining Association, has been a long-time trustee of the Foundation for Natural Resource and Energy Law (Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, was the Mining Co-Chair for an Annual Institute and currently serves on their Investment and International Committees and acts as the regional annual institute program co-chair for Arizona for the Foundation. She has presented papers at the Foundation’ Special and Annual Institutes, including on Corporate Audits and Investigations and International Mining Due Diligence. Additionally, Ms. Strunk was the Chair of the Board of Brio Gold (2016-2018), now part of Equinox Gold and a member of the Audit, Compensation and Governance Committees.  She was a recipient of the 2021 Medal of Merit for her work in the mining industry at the American Mining Hall of Fame. Currently, Ms. Strunk also sits on the Board of Teck Resources Limited.

Ms. Strunk received law degrees from the New York University School of Law and the University of Kansas School of Law, following a B.A in Politics and minoring in Economics, Spanish and History at the Wichita State University. She has been admitted to practice law in Arizona, California, New York, Connecticut and Kansas.