Our Team
George Lloyd – Non-Executive Chairman
George Lloyd has over 40 years of resource industry and corporate finance experience, serving as a senior executive and director of listed and unlisted companies in industrial minerals, base and precious metals, energy and industry services.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering Science in Industrial Engineering, a Master of Business Administration, University of New South Wales, together with completion of the Stanford University Executive Management programme. Mr Lloyd’s professional career has encompassed roles with RGC, Elders Resources, Southern Pacific Petroleum, Central Pacific Minerals and Australian Gas Light Company.
He has held numerous directorships of both public listed and private companies, including Metro Mining, Pryme Energy, Cape Alumina, Equatorial Mining, Goldfields, Aurion Gold and AWR Lloyd. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
He is currently Non-Executive Chairman of Ausenco, Non-Executive Chairman of Astron Corporation and Non-Executive Director of Cemos Group.
Ryan de Franck – Managing Director
Ryan de Franck has a broad range of experience across corporate finance, corporate development and company management with a focus on the natural resources sector.
From 2007 to 2010 he was a Corporate Finance Executive with Deloitte in Perth and from 2011 to 2014 he was an Investment Banking Executive with Liberum Capital in London. In 2014 he founded Valperlon, a diversified natural resources exploration and project development group, that established VBX to pursue the exploration and development of the Wuudagu Bauxite Project.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Western Australia, a Master’s in Applied Finance from the Financial Securities Institute of Australia and a Graduate Diploma in Mineral Exploration Geoscience from the Western Australian School of Mines.
He is currently a Non-Executive Director of Terra Metals.
Vivienne Powe – Non-Executive Director
Vivienne Powe has over 30 years of project development, operational and corporate development experience across a broad range of commodities including senior executive positions with Lynas Rare Earths, Perenti, Global Advanced Metals, BHP and Iluka. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of Artemis Resources.
Ms Powe holds a Bachelor of Metallurgical Engineering with Distinction from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from Financial Securities Institute of Australia, and a Master’s in Business Administration (Technology Management) from Deakin University.
Richard de Franck – Non-Executive Director
Richard de Franck has over 40 years’ experience specialising in industrial relations and human resources management in the resources sector. His professional career included working with J Ray McDermott, Davey McKee Pacific and GRN Australasia.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia, and is currently a Director of Offshore Installation Services.
Chris Handley – GM, Exploration
Over 30 years of mineral exploration, resource definition, grade control and mine planning experience in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. He has previously held roles at Mineral Resources, Roy Hill, South32 and BHP.
Les Purves – GM, Environment
Over 20 years of resource industry experience focused on environmental management, approvals and compliance in Western Australia. He has previously held roles at Mineral Resources, BCI Minerals and Karara Mining.
Curtis Abbott –Chief Financial Officer and Joint Company Secretary
Curtis Abbott is a Chartered Accountant with over 16 years’ experience in financial reporting, business development, risk management, project development and company secretarial services having commenced his career at KPMG’s audit department and holding a range of senior finance positions with public-listed companies in the natural resources sector.
Mr Abbott is engaged through Automic.
Emma Wates –Joint Company Secretary
Emma Wates is an experienced Chartered Accountant with over 15 years’ experience providing corporate advisory and company secretarial services, including capital raising, compliance, governance and valuation advice.
She has advised on a number of successful ASX listings as well as being involved in various secondary and seed capital raisings for public and private companies. She has acted as Company Secretary for several ASX listed companies and is a senior associate of FINSIA.
Ms Wates is engaged through Automic.