Horizon Minerals Appoints New Chairman, Skilful Guidance Building a Success Story

Summary

• Horizon Minerals appoints Non-Executive Director Mr Ashok Parekh as new Chair.
• Extensive corporate and mining industry experience of Horizon Board, especially in the Western Australian Goldfields, would gear the company’s direction towards becoming a new mid-tier gold producer.
• Horizon Minerals made significant exploration and mining developments bolstered by the strategic guidance of highly experience resource executives with a track record in various facets of world-class projects.

Dedicated to its gold exploration endeavours, Australian Gold explorer Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) welcomed Mr Ashok Parekh as the new Chair of Horizon. Notably, Mr Peter Bilbe due to other work commitments, will step down as Chair of the Company effective 1 July 2020 but will serve as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Horizon.

Mr Peter, for three and a half years as Chairman, provided an invaluable contribution to the company in its strategic project exploration and developments. Commenting on the transition on behalf of the Horizon Minerals, Mr Parekh indicated that the company is looking forward to the active involvement of Mr Peter Bilbe as Horizon moves into an exciting growth phase.

Non-Executive Director, Mr Parekh, in the role of Chairman, would serve alongside Mr Bilbe and Managing Director Mr Jon Price.

Horizon Minerals made significant progress concerning the mine development and operations involving various projects. The company’s exploration programs received ongoing support for Horizon’s high calibre board which has extensive corporate and mining industry experience particularly in the Goldfields of West Australia where the focus is to build Horizon into a new mid-tier gold producer.

ALSO READ: Horizon Minerals Advancing well with Boorara Mining and Haulage Ahead of Schedule

With this backdrop, let us look at the influential leaders that are steering Horizon Minerals in the right direction.

Horizon Board and Management

Ashok Parekh, Non-Executive Chairman

Mr Ashok Parekh, with more than 40 years of experience, is a Chartered Accountant and owns a Kalgoorlie-based large Accounting Practice, which he has operated for 33 years. Mr Parekh from 2011 to 2014 served as an Executive Chairman of A1 Consolidated Gold Limited and held Directorship in MacPhersons Resources Limited from September 2009 till the company got delisted, i.e. till June 2019.

He is the recipient of varying awards and received Centenary Medal by the Governor-General of Australia in 2003. Recently, Institute of Chartered Accountants awarded Mr Parekh with the Meritorious Service Award, which is the highest award granted by the institute in Australia.

Mr Parekh holds the experience of more than 33 years in providing advice to mining companies as well as to mining industry service providers. He is well recognised in the mining industry of West Australian, with the hugely successful background in numerous businesses ownership in the Goldfields.

For several years, he has been involved in the negotiation with public listed companies and prospectors on mining deals, which has brought forth new IPOs and initiation of new operations in gold mining. In the Kalgoorlie region, he had a notable engagement in the management of varying gold mining and milling companies and has also served as Managing Director in some of those companies.

Peter Bilbe, Non-Executive Director

Mr Bilbe, holding bachelor’s in engineering (Mining, Hons) and MAusIMM, is a Mining Engineer, having over 40 years’ experience in both Australian and International mining industry. At the same time, he worked at the varying operating, corporate and business level. while he worked at the varying operating, corporate and business level.

He previously has held several senior management positions at different exploration companies which includes Aztec Resources Ltd, Mount Gibson Iron, Aurora Gold Corp, Portman Ltd, and Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines. Currently, he serves as the Non-Executive Chairman of Independence Group NL.

His wide-ranging experience in all aspects of open pit and underground mining and processing operations include the provision of mining contract services, exploration, construction, and feasibility studies.

Jonathan Price, Managing Director

Across all aspects of the industry, that incorporates exploration, construction, development, and mining operations in both gold and advanced minerals sectors. Mr Price has Australian as well as overseas experience of more than 25 years, has been overseeing Western Australia goldfields for reconsolidation of its underexplored tenure and helped achieve substantial exploration success.

He has done his graduation in metallurgy and from the Western Australian School of Mines holds a Masters in Mineral Economics. He has worked in gold and advanced mineral operations, which includes general manager at WA goldfields-based Paddington gold and St Ives gold operations.

Lately, Mr Price was the founding Managing Director of Phoenix Gold which Evolution Mining recently acquired.

Grant Haywood, Chief Operating Officer

Mr Haywood, who is a mining engineer, holds a First Class Mine Managers Certificate and has experience of over 25 years in underground and open-cut mining operations.

For many junior as well as multinational gold mining companies such as Phoenix Gold, Saracen Mineral Holdings and Gold Fields, Mr Haywood has managed several mining projects from feasibility extending to operations, primarily in the Western Australian goldfields.

Andrew Pumphrey, General Manager Boorara

Mr Pumphrey having 30 years’ experience in the mining industry of Western Australia is a geologist and mine surveyor. He has served as General Manager for MacPhersons Resources since May 2016. Mr Pumphrey earlier in August 2015 re-joined MacPhersons as the Operations Manager. He in his prior engagement at MacPhersons (January 2012 to August 2014) served as Exploration Manager for the company.

Since 1989, he has been based in Kalgoorlie, operating a successful mineral exploration contracting business. Numerous gold and nickel projects throughout WA have utilised Mr Pumphrey’s extensive field experience and geological knowledge. He has been engaged in private underground and open pit gold mining which includes processing operations.

David O’Farrell, Exploration Manager

Mr O’Farrell is a geologist having extensive multi-commodities experience of over 25 years in all aspects of exploration, development, and mining in both Australia and abroad. The expertise ranges from project generation through resource modelling and estimation, greenfields exploration and feasibility studies.

His hugely successful career has incorporated exploration and development in the majority of the Australian states as well as through the Asia-Pacific region that includes Darlot, Granites and Simberi Gold Mines.

Highly experienced resource executives having a track record of successful identification, discovery, and development of world-class projects is leading the developments at Horizon Minerals.

HRZ stock closed at $0.115 up by 4.545% (AEST: 11:40am) on 1 July 2020. The stock has given the return of 80.33% and 29.41% in the last three months and six months, respectively.