The tenure of long-serving non-executive director Geoffrey Hill at American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR, OTCQB:ARRNF) has come to an end with the founding shareholder’s retirement yesterday.
Key early contributor
Hill has been hailed as a key contributor to the company’s growth and his departure brings an important era for the company to a close.
Experienced legal and corporate executive Hugh Keller will assume a position on the board as a new non-executive director.
Geoffrey Hill first served as a director from the company’s early days as Broken Hill Prospecting Ltd in 1989 through to 2014 and then returned to the board in 2015.
Hill’s extensive background in corporate finance and the mining sector has been instrumental in steering ARR through various strategic milestones.
Most notably, Hill played a key role in ARR’s expansion into the rare earths sector in North America, including the successful acquisition of its flagship Halleck Creek project in Wyoming.
New chapter; extensive expertise
Hugh Keller will step into his role as a new non-executive director.
Keller, a retired legal partner from Dawson Waldron (now Ashurst), brings extensive experience in commercial contracts and corporate governance.
Over his 34-year career, Keller has held various leadership roles, including joint national managing partner and chairman of the staff superannuation fund at Dawson Waldron.
He also has a robust track record in corporate governance, having served on the boards and audit committees of several ASX-listed companies, including Thakral Holdings Limited and LJ Hooker Limited.
He presently serves as a non-executive director and chair of the Audit Committee for Cobalt Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX:COB, OTC:CBBHF) and provides consulting services to several organisations.
Keller’s expertise in audit committee procedures and managing large projects is expected to be invaluable as ARR continues to develop its rare earth projects, particularly Halleck Creek and La Paz in Arizona.
This leadership transition comes as ARR positions itself to capitalise on its rare earths assets, which are expected to play a critical role in the clean energy transition and US national security.
Chair Richard Hudson said: "Geoff’s legacy within ARR will endure and the foundation he helped establish will support the company’s future growth.
Hill, who will continue to serve as a consultant to the company, said: “I leave the company in a strong financial position with an outstanding project at Halleck Creek, which I hope time will show to be the largest rare earth deposit in the USA, resolving American dependence on China.”