Admission to the ISDX Growth Market

RNS Number : 6304D

Rare Earth Minerals PLC

28 October 2015

 



28 October 2015

Rare Earth Minerals plc

("REM" or the "Company")

Admission to the ISDX Growth Market

 The Company announces that, with effect from 8:00 a.m. today, the Company's ordinary shares will commence trading on the ISDX Growth Market under the ticker REM.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Company will remain admitted to trading on AIM following admission to ISDX.

- Ends -

For further information please contact: 

Rare Earth Minerals plc                                                                       [phone]

David Lenigas

Kiran Morzaria

WH Ireland Limited (NOMAD & Broker)                                                [phone]

James Joyce

Mark Leonard

Square1 Consulting                                                                             [phone]

David Bick

Mark Longson                                             

The following information is provided pursuant to the ISDX Growth Market Rules for Issuers:

Company Information

REM is an investment company which is admitted to trading on AIM. The Company's investing policy is to acquire a diverse portfolio of direct and indirect interests in exploration and producing rare earth minerals and/or other metals projects and assets. In light of the nature of the assets and projects that will be the focus of the Investing Policy, the Company will consider investment opportunities anywhere in the world.

REM's current investments include:

·      a 17.19% holding in Bacanora Minerals Ltd ("Bacanora");

·      A 30% direct interest in Megalit SA de CV ("Megalit") and Mexilit SA de CV ("Mexilit"); Megalit and Mexilit together own ten mining concessions in the Sonora Lithium Project. The remaining 70% of Megalit and Mexilit is owned by Bacanora. When REM's ownership of 17.02% of Bacanora is aggregated with REM's 30% direct interest of the companies that hold the ten mining concessions, REM has a 42.04% economic interest in these assets;

·      a 30% free carried interest to bankable feasibility study on the Yangibana Rare Earth Minerals Project, Australia;

·      a 11.87% interest in the Cinovec Ltihium and Tin Deposit, located on the German border; and

·      an approximate 1.1% interest in Western Lithium USA Corp ("Western Lithium"), which owns the Kings Valley Lithium Project in Nevada and the Cauchari - Olaroz Project in Argentina  (as a result of the recent merger with Lithium Americas Corp.).

Details of Directors

The full names of the Directors of the Company and positions are as follows:

David Lenigas, Executive Chairman

David Lenigas has extensive experience operating in global public markets having served in a senior executive capacity on many public company boards. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Mining Engineering) from Curtin University's Kalgoorlie School of Mines. Mr Lenigas has extensive operational and corporate experience in managing companies within the oil and gas, gold, coal and other natural resources sectors. Mr Lenigas is the Chairman of both the Audit and Remuneration Committee. He is currently the executive chairman of AfriAg plc Evocutis plc and Leni Gas Cuba Limited, a non-executive chairman of Inspirit Energy plc and a non-executive director of Bacanora Minerals Ltd

Donald Strang, Finance Director & Company Secretary

Mr Strang is a member of the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants and has been in business over 20 years, holding senior financial and management positions in both publicly listed and private enterprises in Australia, Europe and Africa. Mr Strang has considerable corporate and international expertise and over the past decade has focussed on mining and exploration activities. He is currently the finance director of, Solo Oil plc and AfriAg plc , an executive director of Evocutis plc, and the executive chairman of Polemos plc, Doriemus plc and Stellar Resource plc

Kiran Morzaria, Director & Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Morzaria holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Industrial Geology) from the Camborne School of Mines and an MBA (Finance) from CASS Business School. He has extensive experience in the mineral resource industry working in both operational and management roles. He has extensive experience in the mineral resource industry working in both operational and management roles. Mr. Morzaria spent the first four years of his career in exploration, mining and civil engineering.  He then obtained his MBA and became the Finance Director of Vatukoula Gold Mines and was part of the team that acquired and re-commissioned operations. He has served as a director of a number of public companies in both an executive and non-executive capacity, he is a non-executive director of Bacanora Minerals Ltd and the finance director of UK Oil and Gas Investments Plc.

Adrian Fairbourn, Non-Executive Director

Mr Fairbourn began his career as an investment analyst before moving to build and manage the highly successful alternative fund-of-funds operation at the Bank of Bermuda, prior to the purchase of the bank by HSBC. For the four years up to 2007 he co-managed a multi-family office in London, responsible for hedge fund investments, direct investments and also asset-raising for co-investment opportunities. He has successfully assisted in over $1billion of structuring, capital and fundraising projects for several private companies and alternative funds. Since starting Exception Capital, Mr Fairbourn spent two years in Shanghai working on a number of company specific situations and helping lift out the Chinese Private Equity team from Temasek, the Singapore Government Sovereign Wealth Fund, into their own entity from where they raised $950m for their first fund. Now back in London, Mr Fairbourn is working on a number of opportunities as well as managing the family assets for a high net worth Italian family.

Andrew Suckling, Non-Executive Director

Mr Suckling is the founding principal and portfolio manager for Verulam, a discretionary commodity fund with focus on metals. Prior to founding Verulam, from 2000 - 2008, Mr. Suckling was a founding partner, research analyst and trader with Ospraie Management, LLC and its predecessor Fund with Tudor Investment Corporation. Mr. Suckling's 21 years' experience in the commodity industry began in 1994 as a Trader with London Metal Exchange Ring dealing member, Metallgesellschaft (MG). In that role, Mr. Suckling established a trading presence in China for MG setting up a representative office in Shanghai in 1997 -1998. Mr. Suckling is a graduate of Brasenose College, Oxford University earning a BA (Hons) in Modern History in 1993 and an MA in Modern History in 2000.

Sector Classification

REM will be classified as financial services company on ISDX.

Shareholder Information

Shareholder	Number of Shares	% Shareholding
BARCLAYSHARE NOMINEES LIMITED	758,124,907	11.12%
HARGREAVES LANSDOWN (NOMINEES) LIMITED Des:15942	559,970,846	8.22%
HSDL NOMINEES LIMITED	411,551,534	6.04%
TD DIRECT INVESTING NOMINEES (EUROPE) LIMITED Des:SMKTNOMS	400,933,155	5.88%
HARGREAVES LANSDOWN (NOMINEES) LIMITED Des:VRA	389,385,586	5.71%
JIM NOMINEES LIMITED Des:JARVIS	337,303,134	4.95%
HSDL NOMINEES LIMITED Des:MAXI	290,471,565	4.26%
TD DIRECT INVESTING NOMINEES (EUROPE) LIMITED Des:SMKTISAS	282,936,480	4.15%
FOREST NOMINEES LIMITED Des:GC1	282,319,190	4.14%
HSBC CLIENT HOLDINGS NOMINEE (UK) LIMITED Des:731504	266,371,102	3.91%
HARGREAVES LANSDOWN (NOMINEES) LIMITED Des:HLNOM	257,218,724	3.77%
INVESTOR NOMINEES LIMITED Des:NOMINEE	213,593,475	3.13%
Total Significant Shareholders	4,450,179,698	65.29%

David Lenigas, Donald Strang, Adrian Fairbourn and Kiran Morzaria each hold options in the Company, as set out below. David Lenigas holds 7,000,000 Ordinary Shares in the Company and Kiran Morzaria holds 5,000,000 Ordinary Shares in the Company.

Director	Date of grant	Exercise price	Number of options
D Lenigas	28 January 2010 (amended 14 December 2012)	0.06p	14,000,000
D Lenigas	30 November 2010 (amended 14 December 2012)	0.06p	30,000,000
			44,000,000
A Fairbourn	13 December 2012	0.06p	20,000,000
A Fairbourn	21 May 2014	0.48p	40,000,000
			60,000,000
D Strang	21 May 2014	0.48p	60,000,000
			60,000,000
K Morzaria	21 May 2014	0.48p	60,000,000
			60,000,000

The percentage of securities in public hands (as defined in the ISDX Growth Market Rules for Issuers) is 58.86%. The percentage of securities not in public hands is 41.14%. There are no restrictions on the transfer of REM's securities.

Further Information

REM was admitted to trading on AIM on 24 March 2005 as Zest Group plc ("Zest"); a copy of the admission document dated 17 March 2005 is available on the Company's website, www.rareearthmineralsplc.com. On 29 November 2010, the Shareholders approved and adopted an Investing Policy to acquire direct and indirect interests in exploration, development and producing Rare Earth Minerals and/or Metals projects and assets. In line with its new investing policy the Company changed its name to Rare Earth Minerals plc. Trading as Zest, the Company had previously held certain recording and publishing rights in the music industry.

The Company will remain admitted to trading on AIM following admission to ISDX. Its ordinary shares are eligible for CREST settlement. The Company is subject to the UK City Code on Takeovers and Mergers.

David Lenigas, Executive Chairman, commented:

"We are seeking admission to ISDX as a means of further increasing liquidity and trading options for our shareholders and creating an additional platform on which to promote the Company's growth".

The directors of Rare Earth Minerals Plc accept responsibility for this announcement.

Registered Address of Applicant

Rare Earth Minerals plc

38 Jermyn Street

London

SW1Y 6DN

Telephone [phone]

www.rareearthmineralsplc.com

Corporate Adviser and Contact Details

WH Ireland Ltd

11 St James's Square

Manchester

M2 6WH

James Joyce/ Mark Leonard

Telephone: [phone]

- Ends -

For further information please contact: 

Rare Earth Minerals plc                                                                                      [phone]

David Lenigas

Kiran Morzaria

WH Ireland Limited (NOMAD & Broker)                                                        [phone]

James Joyce

Mark Leonard

Square1 Consulting                                                                                             [phone]

David Bick

Mark Longson                                             

 

END

 

 

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