Leadership & Governance

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Chief Executive Officer

Dev Shetty – Mr. Shetty is a chartered accountant with extensive experience in private equity, mining, and corporate turnarounds. His expertise includes direct hands-on management of all phases of diverse mining projects, and he is particularly skilled at acquiring, transforming, and monetizing mining projects into valuable assets. In private equity, Mr Shetty has successfully acquired and revitalised key mining assets, including a manganese and platinum mine in South Africa and an iron ore mine in Australia.

As founder and former CEO of Fura Gems Inc., he transformed it into the only company with all three major colour gemstones in its portfolio and turned mines in Colombia, Mozambique, and Australia into revenue-generating operations. He is credited with the turnaround of Gemfields Group Limited, where he was instrumental in developing the world’s largest emerald mine in Zambia and the world’s largest ruby deposit in Mozambique. Mr Shetty joined the Board of Prospect Resources Ltd. in 2020 and collaborated with the management and board to create a new strategy for the company. In 2022, Prospect announced the sale of its Arcadia Lithium in Zimbabwe at a total valuation of AUD 528 million and a 1,500% share price appreciation over 6 years for Prospect shareholders.

Chief Financial Officer & Corporate Secretary

Ryan Ptolemy – Mr. Ptolemy is a CPA, CGA and CFA charter holder and obtained a B.A. from Western University. He serves as CFO to a number of public and private companies in the mining and technology sectors. Mr. Ptolemy formerly served as CFO for an independent investment dealer in Toronto where he was responsible for financial reporting, auditing, budgeting and internal controls.

Legal Counsel

Kenny Choi – Mr. Choi is a corporate lawyer who is corporate secretary and legal consultant to various TSX and TSX Venture listed companies in the mining and technology industries. He was previously an associate at a large Toronto corporate law firm, where he worked on a variety of corporate and commercial transactions. Mr. Choi studied at Western University, where he obtained a Juris Doctor from the Faculty of Law and an Honours Business Administration degree from the Ivey Business School.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dev Shetty – Executive Chairman

Mr. Shetty is a chartered accountant with extensive experience in private equity, mining, and corporate turnarounds. His expertise includes direct hands-on management of all phases of diverse mining projects, and he is particularly skilled at acquiring, transforming, and monetizing mining projects into valuable assets. In private equity, Mr Shetty has successfully acquired and revitalised key mining assets, including a manganese and platinum mine in South Africa and an iron ore mine in Australia.

Gregory Biniowsky – Mr. Biniowsky is a Canadian trained and licensed lawyer who has been a director or officer of a number of international businesses. He is a fluent Spanish speaker, with more than 30 years’ experience working in Latin America as a strategic advisor. He previously worked for the international law firms Gowling WLG and Heenan Blaikie, and also as an international development fund manager for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Development Program. Mr. Biniowsky holds a JD from the University of British Colombia and degrees from Carleton and York Universities in political science with a focus on Latin America.

Fred Leigh – Mr. Leigh has been involved in the resource sector for over 35 years and has had a significant role as founder, director and/or investor in many public companies. Mr. Leigh is also the founder and President of VC7K Capital Inc., a privately held company which, for over 18 years, has invested in early-stage opportunities in the resource sector.

Bernie Wilson – Mr. Wilson is a senior financial professional. He is the former Vice-Chairman of PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP. Further, Mr. Wilson is the Chairman of the Founders Board of the Institute of Corporate Directors. Mr. Wilson has served as Chairman of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce; Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce – Canada; and Member of the Canada/US Trade Committee. Mr. Wilson is currently a director of a number of other public Canadian companies

General Lewis MacKenzie – General MacKenzie retired from the Canadian Forces after 36 years of service. Since retiring he has authored two bestselling books and numerous newspaper articles and is a frequent media commentator. He is known for commanding Sector Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, under the United Nations Protection Force in 1992. General MacKenzie has served as a director for a number of public companies. He has received the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada.