Chair Succession & Board Update

Atalaya Mining PLC

30 May 2024

 

 

30 May 2024

Atalaya Mining Plc.

("Atalaya" or "the Company")

Chair Succession, Directorate Change and Board Committee Updates

Atalaya Mining Plc (LSE: ATYM) is pleased to announce several updates related to the composition of its Board of Directors as part of the implementation of its succession plans and Board Diversity Policy.

Chair Succession

Current Senior Independent Director, Neil Gregson, will succeed Roger Davey as Chair of Atalaya Mining Plc effective 1 July 2024, following the Company's 2024 Annual General Meeting ("2024 AGM") on 27 June 2024.

Mr. Gregson was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Company in February 2021 and as Senior Independent Director in October 2023, providing him with a strong understanding of Atalaya and its operations. He has over 30 years of experience investing in mining and oil and gas companies, having served as Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Asset Management from 2010 to 2020 and before that at Credit Suisse Asset Management. Mr. Gregson has a BSc (Hons) Mining Engineering from Nottingham University and previously held various positions at mining companies, including a role as a mining investment analyst at Gold Fields of South Africa.

Mr. Davey was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Company in May 2010 and has served as Chair since December 2014. In order to provide an adequate handover period for Mr. Gregson in his new role, Mr. Davey will continue as a Non-Executive Director of the Company until the end of 2024 after which he will retire.

Senior Independent Director Appointment

Kate Harcourt will be appointed Senior Independent Director of the Company upon Mr. Gregson assuming his new role as Chair.

Ms. Harcourt was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Company in May 2022 and serves as Chair of the Sustainability Committee. She is a sustainability professional with over 30 years of experience, having worked with numerous mining companies on permitting and project finance matters and with financial institutions like the International Finance Corporation. Ms. Harcourt has a BSc (Hons) in Natural Environmental Science from Sheffield University and a MSc in Environmental Technology (Pollution) from Imperial College.

New Director Appointment

Carole Whittall has been appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Company effective 3 June 2024.

Ms. Whittall is a senior executive with over 25 years of experience in the natural resources sector across a broad range of functions including management, finance and M&A. She is currently CFO and Director of Yellow Cake plc, where she was part of the founding management team and participated in its IPO and subsequent capital raises. She is also a co-founder of Mining Strategies Limited, a consultancy firm providing M&A and transaction advisory services to the metals and mining sector.

Previously, Ms. Whittall was Vice President, Head of M&A at ArcelorMittal Mining and member of the Mining Executive Team, responsible for global M&A, including acquisitions, divestments, joint ventures and portfolio company management and restructuring. She has a BSc (Hons) in Geology from the University of Cape Town and a MBA from the London Business School.

Additional Information on Carole Whittall

Current Directorships	Past Directorships
Yellow Cake plc	n/a

No further information is required to be disclosed pursuant to the requirements of Listing Rule 9.6.13R.

Revised Board Committee Composition

As a result of the various changes described above, the composition of the Company's board committees will be as follows effective 1 July 2024:

·      Audit Committee

‒      Chair                     Hussein Barma

‒      Members             Stephen Scott, Carole Whittall

·      Nomination & Governance Committee

‒      Chair                     Neil Gregson

‒      Members             Kate Harcourt, Stephen Scott

·      Physical Risk Committee

‒      Chair                     Stephen Scott

‒      Members             Roger Davey, Jesus Fernandez, Neil Gregson

·      Sustainability Committee

‒      Chair                     Kate Harcourt

‒      Members             Hussein Barma, Roger Davey

·      Remuneration Committee

‒      Chair                     Hussein Barma

‒      Members             Neil Gregson, Kate Harcourt, Stephen Scott

Roger Davey, Chair, commented:

"Over the 10 years that I have served as Chair at Atalaya Mining I have seen the Company firmly establish itself as one of Europe's leading copper producers. Recent highlights, such as the move to the London Stock Exchange's Main Market, show how the Company is well positioned for scale and continued growth, and as such I see this as the ideal time to step down as Chair. I am delighted the Board has chosen Neil Gregson to replace me. Neil has significant industry experience and has already demonstrated his strong leadership qualities through serving as the Senior Independent Director. I am confident he is right person to guide Atalaya through its next stage of growth."

Alberto Lavandeira, CEO, commented:

"I would like to thank Roger Davey for his decade of service as Atalaya Chair. Roger's deep industry knowledge and counsel have played an important role in establishing Atalaya in the strong position it is in today. Roger will be succeeded by Neil Gregson, who originally joined the Atalaya Board as a Non-Executive Director three years ago and brings over 30 years of financial and industry knowledge. Neil embodies Atalaya's core principles of integrity, honesty and ambition and will play a core role in the Company's continued growth.

I would also like to congratulate Carole Whittall on her appointment. Carole's immense experience and expertise further strengthen Atalaya's governance, M&A and financial credentials. Atalaya firmly believes diversity is essential for growth and we are pleased to be taking steps to ensure this in line with our Sustainability Policy and best practice commitments."

Listing Rules

This announcement has been made in accordance with the requirements of Listing Rule 9.6.11R.

Contacts:

SEC Newgate UK	Elisabeth Cowell / Tom Carnegie / Matthew Elliott	[phone]
Atalaya Mining	Michael Rechsteiner	[phone]
Canaccord Genuity (Joint Broker)	James Asensio / George Grainger	[phone]
BMO Capital Markets (Joint Broker)	Tom Rider / Andrew Cameron	[phone]
Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Broker)	Ross Allister / David McKeown	[phone]

About Atalaya Mining Plc

Atalaya is a European copper producer that owns and operates the Proyecto Riotinto complex in southwest Spain. Atalaya's shares trade on the London Stock Exchange's Main Market (Premium Segment) under the symbol "ATYM".

Atalaya's operations include the Cerro Colorado open pit mine and a modern 15 Mtpa processing plant, which has the potential to become a central processing hub for ore sourced from its wholly owned regional projects around Riotinto, such as Proyecto Masa Valverde and Proyecto Riotinto East. In addition, Atalaya has a phased earn-in agreement for up to 80% ownership of Proyecto Touro, a brownfield copper project in the northwest of Spain, as well as a 99.9% interest in Proyecto Ossa Morena. For further information, please visit www.atalayamining.com

 

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