South Harz Potash Ltd (ASX:SHP) has appointed highly experienced potash executive Lawrence Berthelet as a non-executive director and a member of its Technical Committee, effective October 17, 2022.
The appointment is expected to greatly enhance the company’s pre-development activities at the South Harz Potash Project in Germany as it works to bring the asset into production, beginning with the Ohmgebirge deposit.
Deep experience
Lawrence recently stepped down from the position of head of Mining Division at global agriculture and chemicals business, EuroChem.
Prior to that he held several senior management roles across seven years at potash major, The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS), including vice president, Capital (North America) and vice president, Engineering and Capital (Potash Business Unit).
Preceding that, Lawrence held the roles of vice president, Potash (Global Mining and Metallurgy) and general manager, Saskatoon, at SNC-Lavalin (TSX:SNC) across a period of five years.
Prior to this, he was mine manager, Vanscoy Potash Operations, for Agrium (now Nutrien) for five years.
This was preceded by 12 years at National Manufacturing of Canada across the roles of vice president (Operations), manager (Saskatchewan Minerals) and plant manager (Grace Dearborn Fort Saskatchewan).
“A huge asset” to company
South Harz acting executive chairman Ian Farmer said: “I am delighted to welcome Lawrence to the South Harz team. His 35-year professional track record in the global potash business is substantial and demonstrably impressive.
"I believe he will be a huge asset to South Harz over the coming years and I look forward to working closely with him over this time.”
Lawrence, who commenced his career as a plant metallurgist at The Mosaic Company, holds a Bachelor of Science (Chemical Engineering) and a MBA from the University of Saskatchewan.
At “seminal stage”
Commenting on his appointment, Berthelet said: “I am excited to be joining South Harz at this seminal stage in its journey at Ohmgebirge and the broader South Harz Project.
"I believe that the South Harz Project offers a large-scale, high-quality development opportunity that is ideally positioned for the new world order in global potash.
"I look forward to actively contributing to the rapid advancement of this premium asset, and the overall success of the South Harz business.”
South Harz also advises that its CEO search process is now at an advanced stage with an appointment expected to be finalised in the next few weeks, followed by which a review of the board will be conducted.