Toubani Resources Ltd has appointed highly experienced gold executive Matt Wilcox to its board and strengthened its study management team to drive delivery of the definitive feasibility study (DFS) for the 2.4-million-ounce Kobada Gold Project in southern Mali.
The appointment of Wilcox as a non-executive director is effective immediately with the board also appointing current non-executive director Scott Perry as non-executive chair, also with immediate effect.
West African experience
Wilcox has a vast amount of experience in the gold mining industry and particularly in West Africa where Toubani’s oxide-dominant Kobada Project is located.
He was previously the CEO at Tietto Minerals Ltd where he oversaw the design, construction, commissioning and operation of the Abujar Gold Mine before being acquired by Zhaojin Capital for A$750 million in May 2024.
To benefit Toubani “enormously”
"The addition of Matt to our Board of Directors and the wealth of experience he has in designing, constructing and operating mines in West Africa will benefit Toubani enormously as it advances with momentum towards developing the next gold mine in West Africa," Toubani's chief executive officer Phil Russo said.
Wilcox also led the construction of West African Resources’ Sanbrado Gold Mine, completed in March 2020, ahead of schedule and under budget, and spent eight years in senior management roles for Nord Gold at which he led the construction of the Bissa (4 million tonnes per annum) and Bouly (8 million tonnes per annum) gold projects, both in Burkina Faso.
He was also the general manager for the 6 million tonnes per annum Lefa Gold Project in Guinea and project director for construction of the 12 million tonnes per annum Gross Gold Project in Siberia, Russia, for Nord Gold.
The Board of Directors now consists of Scott Perry as non-executive chairman, Matt Wilcox, Danny Callow and Tim Kestell as non-executive directors, and Phil Russo as executive director and chief executive officer.
DFS team additions
Toubani has also made additions to its DFS owner’s team with Marc Rowley, Dave Clark and Dhanu Anandarasa joining the existing technical team of Bill Oliver and Kerry Griffin to oversee and guide the work being completed by Lycopodium, Orelogy, Entech, Knight Piesold and other highly credentialed consulting groups.
"I am excited to announce the strengthening of the Toubani team to oversee the delivery of the Kobada DFS with Marc, Dave and Dhanu all having recent and relevant experience preparing feasibility studies for projects in Africa,” Russo said.
About Marc Rowley
Marc Rowley, a highly experienced study manager and project director, will oversee the delivery of the Kobada DFS in combination with Toubani's current DFS lead, Bill Oliver.
Rowley has more than 20 years of mine development experience, successfully leading projects through all phases of the project life cycle to commercial production and has built owners' teams and worked closely with major EPCM consultants in Australia and overseas.
He brings extensive knowledge of the mining industry in Mali, having managed the delivery of the DFS for the Goulamina Lithium Project, construction of which is now nearing completion.
About Dave Clark
Dave Clark, who will lead Toubani's mining study for the DFS, is a highly experienced, well-regarded mining engineer with more than 30 years of experience encompassing mine operations, project management, study and operational leadership positions for Australian and international operations.
He has strong practical knowledge and experience in contractor and owner miner fields covering gold, nickel, iron ore, lithium and rare earths commodities with relevant African operating experience in Mali, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire and Morocco.
About Dhanu Anandarasa
Dhanu Anandarasa, who will lead the financial and economic modelling for the DFS, is an experienced corporate development executive and financial analyst with CFA designation.
He has extensive knowledge of the gold mining sector and specific experience working on African assets. Most recently, he assisted Perseus Mining by providing financial modelling services in support of their takeover of OreCorp.
Anandarasa also performed financial modelling for Perseus as part of upsizing its corporate debt facility to US$300 million.
He is familiar with Mali, having worked in the corporate development team at Resolute Mining where he was part of the team that delivered the Syama Underground DFS.
Webinar tomorrow
Toubani Resources will host a webinar tomorrow, Tuesday, May 28, at 11.30am AEST/9.30am WST during which CEO Phil Russo will update on DFS activities & recent and upcoming Mali developments.
The link to register is: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_H-KpRevVQpqoS4-uYx05IA