Directorate Change

Tertiary Minerals PLC
25 February 2002



                            www.tertiaryminerals.com

                                                               FEBRUARY 25, 2002

                 FORMER BILLITON EXPLORATION CHIEF EXECUTIVE TO

                       JOIN BOARD OF AIM-LISTED TERTIARY

  • David Whitehead To Become Non-Executive Director In May - Background in
    Project Development and Mine Management
  • Dr Michael Price To Step Down Following Societe Generale Appointment

_________________________________________________________________________

Tertiary Minerals plc is pleased to announce that Mr David Whitehead will join
the company as a non-executive Director on 1 May 2001 after he retires in April
from BHP Billiton Plc where he is Vice President Integration, Exploration and
Innovation.

Mr Whitehead brings with him exploration and general mining and management
skills, including the experience of project development and operating mine
management. He has been involved in nearly every type of exploration and his
experience with large scale projects will be particularly relevant following the
recent granting to Tertiary of exclusive exploration rights over the world-class
Ghurayyah tantalum project in Saudi Arabia.

Educated at Trinity College, University of Dublin, where he was a NATO Research
Scholar for geology, Mr Whitehead, 59, began his mining industry career in
Ireland in 1966. Over the next decade he held the position of chief geologist at
both the Tynagh and Tara base metal mines followed by a two-year posting to
South Africa with US Steel Corporation.

He has been with the Billiton Group since 1976 and was responsible for all of
Billiton's exploration and development world-wide in 1986-87 when Billiton was a
part of Royal Dutch Shell. He was appointed Chief Executive, Exploration and
Development of Billiton Plc in 1997 and, in that role, he created and introduced
a market oriented and commercial approach to minerals exploration involving the
formation of strategic alliances with junior exploration companies and the
leveraging of group capabilities with funding obtained in venture capital
markets.

Since last year's merger of Billiton with BHP to form the world's biggest mining
group, Mr Whitehead, among other things, has been leading the team responsible
for the integration of the two companies' exploration and development groups
into a single unit, together with establishing the objectives and operating
strategies for its activities.

Mr Whitehead will take the place on the Tertiary board being vacated by Dr
Michael Price who is stepping down as a non-executive director on 30 April
following his recent appointment as Managing Director, Head of Mining and Metals
at Societe Generale.

The company is extremely grateful to Dr Price for his invaluable help in the
past few years as the Company dealt with the challenges of obtaining a listing
on AIM, as well as running a substantial exploration programme.

Further Information:

Patrick Cheetham, Tertiary Minerals Plc .Tel: [phone]; mob: [phone]

Ron Marshman/John Greenhalgh, City of London PR Ltd. Tel: [phone]



                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange