Board of Directors
Jeff Swinoga
Chairman of the Board
Jeff Swinoga is a highly accomplished mining executive with more than 25 years of executive and management experience in the areas of finance, project development and project construction. Most recently, he was the National Mining and Metals co Leader at EY Canada and CEO of an international gold company. He was also the chief financial officer of Torex Gold Resources Inc. where, during his four-year tenure, he led the US$400 million financing of Torex’s US$800 million El Limon-Guajes gold mine on the Morelos property and led his team during Torex’s transition from an exploration and development company to a mid-tier gold producer. Prior to Torex, Swinoga spent four years as the CFO of North American Palladium Ltd., during which time NAP financed and constructed the underground offset zone expansion project for the Lac des Iles Mine and acquired and built two gold producing mines in Québec. In addition, he spent three years as CFO of HudBay Minerals Inc., a company which, from its initial public offering in late 2004, grew to a market capitalization of more than $2 billion. Jeff also spent seven years at Barrick Gold Corporation as a senior officer with responsibilities that included project financing of Barrick’s Bulyanhulu and Veladero projects and chairman of Barrick’s pension committee. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Toronto as well as a Bachelor’s degree (Honours) in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. Jeff was elected to the Board of PDAC this year and is also a member of their audit committee.
Jeff leverages years of business strategy, capital markets, M&A, finance and relationship building experience in CEO/CFO positions for intermediate to large public companies and over 25 years of experience in the sector and finance. Jeff was formerly the National Mining and Metals Co-Leader at EY Canada where he led a team of professionals across the country supporting mining and metals companies as they pursue their growth ambitions in the wake of a transformed competitive and operating landscape.
Jeff has successfully built and led finance teams through the different stages of financing, construction and production. He also brings international experience in the mining and finance industries with an extensive network, operating and project development in North and South America, as well as Africa.
Jeff has served on boards of publicly-traded companies, such as First Cobalt and Tonbridge Power. He holds an MBA degree from the University of Toronto and a four-year Honours Economics degree from the University of Western Ontario. He’s also a Chartered Professional Accountant.
Jeff was formerly the National Mining and Metals co Leader at EY Canada. He has over 25 years of international experience in the mining and finance industries, recently as CEO of an international gold company and over 12 years of CFO experience leading teams to finance and develop numerous international mining projects. Jeff has experienced with mining and processing companies at operating and development stages, including gold, silver, copper, zinc, zinc oxide, potash, cobalt, platinum and palladium, in North and South America as well as Africa. As a leader in the capital markets with an extensive network, Jeff brings a strategic perspective focused on business objectives driving growth, efficiencies, M&A and raising capital.
Philippe Cloutier, P.Geo.
Director
Philippe Cloutier, P.Geo., holds a B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Montreal in 1986 and a certificate in Human Resource Management at University of Quebec Abitibi-Temiskaming and has over 25 years of experience in the mining exploration and development business. Mr. Cloutier is currently the President & CEO of Cartier Resources Inc. and had previously worked for industry leaders such as Noranda Inc., Aur Resources Inc., and Soquem.
Philippe played a significant role in the discovery and delineation of the Bell-Allard South Cu-Zn Mine (3.4 Mt @ 1.26 % Cu, 13.94 % Zn, 0.67g/t Au, 42.34g/t Ag) in Matagami, Quebec.
Since September 2002, he serves as member of the Order of Geologist professional inspection committee.
Nick Nikolakakis, MBA
Director
Mr. Nikolakakis has over 26 years of senior management, strategic and capital planning, and finance and accounting experience within the mining sector and has raised over $2 billion in capital. He was Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Battle North Gold from October 2013 until May 2021 when the Company was acquired by Evolution Mining Limited; Mr. Nikolakakis has also served as a senior officer of a number of public mining companies including Rainy River Resources Ltd., Barrick Gold Corporation, Placer Dome Canada, and North American Palladium Ltd. Mr. Nikolakakis holds an Applied Science degree in Geological Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a Master’s Degree of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario’s Ivey School of Business.
Brooke DeLong
Director
Ms. Brooke DeLong is a dynamic Canadian communication and change management leader with more than 20 years of corporate and operations experience within the mining industry. She is a bridge-builder who believes in values-driven leadership.
Ms. DeLong brings to the company significant experience as a trusted advisor on communications, change management and global governance matters through her current role as Director, Change Management & Internal Communications at Centerra Gold Inc. and previously, as Manager, Communications at Vale, where she also led the change management and governance practices for the company's Base Metals business.
Fluently bilingual (English and French), Ms. DeLong holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and Bachelor of Public Relations from Mount St. Vincent University. She is an Accredited Business Communicator through the International Association of Business Communicators and earned Change Management Certification from Prosci.
Connection to community has been a constant for Ms. DeLong. A member of UNB's Board of Governors since 2017 and Chair of its Advancement Committee, she is also a past President of the UNB Associated Alumni. She is an alumna of the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference and in 2011, was recognized by Northern Ontario Business as one of its Top 40 Under Forty leaders.
Alain Bureau, P.Eng.
Director
Mr. Alain Bureau is a Canadian professional engineer with over 20 years of experience in the mining and construction sector, having worked in 11 countries across the Americas. Mr. Bureau brings to the company significant experience in the junior mining industry through his roles as President & CEO of Pershimco Resources and President of Atico Mining Corporation. He also received numerous important industry acknowledgements, including TSX's Top 10 exploration companies award in 2012 and the prestigious PwC's Top performing mining explorers award in 2013. As a third-generation miner, his early career led him to be involved in numerous large construction projects including the Glencore's Raglan Mine located in the extreme limit of Northern Quebec.
While with Agnico Eagle, he was the plant construction manager for the Pino's Alto mine in the remote Mexican mountains as well as in the Atacama desert working on BHP's Escondida mine expansion, currently the largest copper producer in the world. His exploration and construction abilities as well as his M&A experience and understanding of the capital markets allowed him to successfully deliver growth through the development of logistically challenging projects by providing technical solutions and financial alternatives to create value for shareholders.
Alain graduated with high honours in Mechanical Engineer from the Royal Military College of Canada and is a member of the OIQ "Ordre des Ingénieurs du Quebec". He also currently serves on the Mining Chamber of Ecuador Board of Directors.