Suvo Strategic Minerals Ltd (ASX:SUV) has elevated chief financial officer (CFO), Bojan Bogunovic, to the position of interim chief executive officer (CEO). Bogunovic succeeds Hugh Thomas, who has resigned from his roles as managing director and CEO.
Bogunovic joined the company in July 2021 as group financial controller, following the firm's acquisition of Pittong Operations from French conglomerate Imerys S.A. Within months, he was promoted to CFO. Over the past four months, he has additionally served as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), concentrating on expanding Suvo's hydrous kaolin market in the Asia Pacific.
With extensive time spent in Asia, Bogunovic has been instrumental in mapping the kaolin market and advancing a new marketing strategy. He has also broadened Suvo's sales and distribution footprint in the region. A key figure for Suvo in Asia Pacific, Bogunovic possesses in-depth knowledge of Pittong's diverse product range, including its technical specifications and applications.
Results driven
“We are delighted to have Bojan acting as CEO at Suvo,” Suvo non-executive chairman Aaron Banks said.
“Bojan has been a trusted and reliable member of the executive team since his appointment over two years ago and he has a deep understanding of the Pittong operations and the company’s hydrous kaolin product suite.
“Over the past four months Bojan has worked tirelessly travelling throughout the Asia Pacific region to build relationships with potential offtakers. Over 20 companies now have samples of Suvo product and we are quietly confident that the hard work by Bojan and the sales team should start yielding results in the coming months.
“On behalf of the board, I thank Hugh for his time at the company and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
A Suvo snapshot
Suvo is concentrated on kaolin production and exploration. The company's core operation is the Pittong hydrous kaolin plant in Victoria, which it fully owns. Additionally, Suvo is exploring kaolin and high purity silica assets in Western Australia through its wholly owned Gabbin, Eneabba, and Muchea projects.
Pittong operations
Situated 40 kilometres west of Ballarat in Victoria, Suvo's Pittong Operations are the only wet kaolin mine and processing plant in Australia. Operational since 1972, it consists of three main deposits—Pittong, Trawalla, and Lal Lal—each under approved Mining Licences MIN5408, MIN5365, and MIN5409, respectively.
Contractors deliver crude kaolin ore to stockpiles, which is then converted into four different products. These range from high solids slurry used in paper and board manufacturing to various other forms employed in coatings, paint, and specialty industries. Approximately 20,000 to 25,000 tonnes are distributed to end users annually.
Gabbin Kaolin Project
Fully owned by Suvo, the Gabbin Kaolin Project is 215 kilometres northeast of Perth and covers 413 km². It consists of four granted exploration licences centred around the town of Gabbin. Currently, the JORC 2012 mineral resources for this project stand at 72.5 million tonnes of bright white kaolinised granite with an ISO brightness of 80.5%.
Eneabba Silica Sands Project
The wholly owned Eneabba Silica Sands Project is located 300 kilometres north of Perth. With four exploration licences covering 169 km², the area features deep white and yellow sands. The project is on the Eneabba Plain, characterised by its windblown and alluvial sand surface.