Southern Gold Ltd (ASX:SAU) has appointed two new non-executive directors — Dr Jack Hamilton and Adam Slater — to its board effective after yesterday’s AGM. This comes in addition to board member Michael McNeilly’s earlier appointment as chair.
The changes are to support the company’s strategic focus on exploration for minerals critical to the global clean energy transition and follows its recent acquisition of Iondrive Technologies and its battery technologies.
Hamilton and Slater will each receive 3,000,000 unlisted options with an exercise price of 2.5 cents, expiring four years from their issue date. The options vest upon their re-election by shareholders at the 2024 AGM.
Jack Hamilton - non-executive director
Dr Jack Hamilton brings a wealth of experience as a highly accomplished senior executive and board director, with a deep knowledge spanning technology commercialisation, operations, manufacturing, project management, business development and commercial ventures.
He has held significant leadership roles both locally and internationally within the energy sector, including a distinguished tenure as the director of North West Shelf Ventures for Woodside Energy Ltd, overseeing Australia's largest resource project.
Jack has also contributed his expertise to numerous non-executive director positions within ASX-listed companies over the past 12 years.
He currently serves as a non-executive director at Hazer Group Ltd (ASX:HZR, OTC:HZRGF), where he is actively involved in the development of low emission hydrogen and graphite processes. Furthermore, his recent non-executive roles with Calix Ltd and AnteoTech Ltd (ASX:ADO) have highlighted his involvement in advancing technologies for battery applications.
Adam Slater - non-executive director
Adam Slater has been engaged as a non-executive director, subject to receipt of his ASIC director identification number and will be engaged as an advisor to the board in the meantime.
Slater brings nearly three decades of invaluable experience in the commodities industry. His impressive journey includes leading the development of the commodity division at SGX-listed CWT Limited from 2007 to 2018. This division encompassed financial services, brokerage of commodities, commodity trading, and comprehensive supply chain management for commodities.
Adam also served on the boards of each subsidiary company within CWT Limited's commodity-related businesses and chaired the board of MRI Trading. Slater was pivotal to the growth in the CWT commodities division, which accounted for over 80% of group revenues (S$12 billion out of S$14 billion) and in excess of 50% of the group’s profits.
The HNA Group acquired CWT Logistics for $1.04 billion in December 2017. In 2019, he transitioned his primary focus towards venture capital, contributing his expertise to multiple company boards and advisory committees.
Two retiring directors
As Southern Gold transitions to a new phase, the Board also bids a sincere farewell to two retiring directors that have played key roles in the Southern Gold journey.
Peter Bamford, a seasoned mining engineer and corporate executive with over four decades of experience, has been an integral part of Southern Gold's Board since 2018, including a notable stint as Southern Gold's chair from October 2022 to July 2023.
Likewise, Doug Kirwin, a respected Australian geologist with an impressive 45 years of international experience, joined us as a non-executive director in February 2020.