Directors and Senior Management
Existing Directors
Antonio Ortuzar, aged 48, Chairman
Antonio was appointed to the Board on 16 March 2011. Antonio is a senior partner of Cruzat, Ortuzar & Mackenna Ltda, a member of Baker & McKenzie International, one of the leading law firms in Chile. He is also joint coordinator of the Latin America Energy, Mining, Chemicals and Infrastructure Group. Antonio's experience includes international joint ventures, project financing, foreign investments, corporate and commercial arrangements, as well as major mining infrastructure projects, mining and telecommunications. He has been involved in the placement of shares in the Chilean stock market, ADRs in the New York Stock Exchange and IPOs in Australia and Canada. Antonio also handles the issuing of bonds, various mining infrastructure issues, and energy and water projects in Chile. He also serves as assistant professor of economic law at Finis Terrae University in Santiago, and is a member of the Chilean Bar Association. He is a former vice president of the Australian-Chilean Chamber of Commerces. Mr Otuzar is a director of Atacama Pacific Corporation, a TSX listed company and Baker & McKenzie LLP.
William (Bill) Etheridge, aged 63, Director
Bill was appointed on 17 July 2009. Bill has over 30 years experience in the mining and mining finance industry, based mainly in Sydney and London. He worked as a mining engineer with Hamersley Iron, and as an economist for mining companies in London (Consolidated Gold Fields) and Sydney (Renison Goldfields Consolidated). He has also worked within mining companies (including Hargraves Resources and Selwyn Mines Limited) focusing on mining project scoping, analysis and appraisal, valuation of internal and external opportunities, cut-off grade analysis, project administration, preparation of company reports, and investor relations. He has also worked in stockbroking (including Merrill Lynch, ABS White and HSBC James Capel) as a resources analyst, covering a range of mining companies, and including experience in research and equity raising. He has consulted on a wide range of mining investment opportunities, and has undertaken detailed analysis of a number of mineral commodities, both metals and energy.
Dr Phillip Wing, aged 53, Non Executive Director
Phillip was appointed to the Board on 17 July 2009. Phillip is the Executive Chairman of a number of special purpose private equity firms. He is currently chairman or non executive director of six investee companies ranging from mining to medical devices. Until January 2006, Phillip was a partner of Technology Venture Partners (TVP), a specialist Institutional Information Technology and Telecommunications venture capital firm, for 7 years and was an active non– executive director on many of TVP’s portfolio companies in Australia and overseas. Prior to joining TVP, Phillip was a senior executive in IBM’s global and Asia Pacific management team. He held responsibility for a major industry business unit in Asia and was also General Manager of the IBM (Australia and New Zealand) consulting business. His last role in IBM was as General Manager (Global Services) responsible for strategy, marketing and business development including acquisitions, alliances and business partners. Prior to his career at IBM, Phillip was a partner at Ernst and Young, KPMG Peat Marwick and Touche Ross, specialising in strategy and IT and corporate advisory consulting. Phillip held managing partner roles responsible for the consulting business units and spent two years on secondment as the Chief Information Officer of NSW Health. Phillip has worked extensively in the USA, Asia, and Europe. He has a Bachelor and Masters of Economics and has completed a PhD in Organisational Change. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, and also an adjunct lecturer with the Centre for Applied Finance (Macquarie University).
William Howe, aged 57, Managing Director
William was appointed to the Board on 17 July 2009. Mr Howe, Hampton Mining founder, has over 30 years experience in the mining industry and has worked in southern and west Africa, Australia, South East Asia and North and South America. He has been instrumental in the development of a number of new mining operations in Australia and South East Asia including the development and management of the first copper heap leach operation in Australia. He specialises in optimising existing operations and the development of new operations in both underground and open pit environments and has extensive experience in mine development, mine management and corporate management. Mr Howe was a founding director of Straits Resources Limited and was Managing Director of Ghana Gold Mines Limited, Hargraves Resources NL and Selwyn Mines Limited.
Timothy (Tim) Read, aged 64, Non Executive Director
Tim has over forty years experience of the mining and metals sector, first as a mining analyst, then as an investment banker and, most recently, as a corporate executive and director. Between 1995 and 1999, he was Managing Director and Global Co Head of Mining and Metals Investment Banking for Merrill Lynch Inc and, accordingly has extensive experience of all aspects of corporate finance, particularly M&A and equity capital markets. Between 1999 and 2006, he was the chief executive of Adastra Minerals Inc (acquired by First Quantum Minerals in 2006) and since then has acted as a non-executive director for several natural resource companies including Cumerio SA (acquired by Norddeutsche Affinerie in 2008), Kopane Diamond Developments (until December 2009), Starfield Resources Inc and Faroe Petroleum plc. †Mr Read has a BA (Economics) from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.
Francisco Vergara-Irarrazaval, aged 62, Non Executive Director
Francisco has over 30 years experience in the mining industry in Chile and other Latin American countries where he was Vice President of CompaÒ”a Minera El Indio and CompaÒ”a Minera San JosÈ, subsidiaries of St. Joe Minerals Corporation until 1991. In 1991, he established Vergara & Cia, Law Firm, providing legal services to different mining companies and international engineering firms focused in natural resources, energy, shipping, especially, in the salmon industry in Chile, agriculture, and foreign governments through their embassies in Chile and has acted as Director of listed companies and Chairman and Director of a number of unlisted companies. Francisco holds his Law Degree from the Catholic University of Chile, is a Fulbright Scholar and undertook graduate studies in the Institute of International and Foreign Trade Law of Georgetown University, Washington D.C. and at the Law School of Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
Senior Management
Colin Sinclair, aged 70, General Manager Exploration (Hampton)
Colin has over 40 years experience in exploration and mine geology in Africa, Middle East, South America and Australia, including 5 years as a Managing Geologist based in Chile during the 1990’s. He has held senior geological and managerial positions, including General Manager South America for North Ltd, Project Manager North Parkes Project for North Ltd and Chief Geologist Ashanti Goldfields, Ghana. Mr Sinclair is widely experienced in base and precious metal geology, particularly in copper and gold. His experience covers major deposits, various treatment processes and ranges from initial exploration through feasibility studies to operating mines.
Philip Killen, aged 55, Chief Financial Officer/Company Secretary
Philip is a finance professional with 17 years experience in the mining and exploration sector. Prior senior executive roles in the resources sector include Financial Controller of Plutonic Resources Limited and Chief Financial Officer of Otter Gold Mines Limited. Previously he was with the Caltex Group for over 10 years in various senior finance, commercial, audit and technology roles located in Australia and overseas. His experience includes financial modelling to support bankable feasibility studies, development of funding strategies, treasury, corporate governance and compliance, and implementation of commercial systems.
