Executive Team

Mr. Simpson has served as our Chief Executive Officer and a director on our board of directors since October 2014. Mr. Simpson has also been the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Black Iron, Inc., a Toronto Stock Exchange listed iron ore exploration and development company, since October 2010. Prior to joining our Company, Mr. Simpson worked for the Iron Ore Company of Canada (which we refer to as “IOC”), a subsidiary of Rio Tinto plc and Mitsubishi Corp, from 2002 to 2010. At IOC, he held several progressive roles in Business Evaluation, Operations Planning, Continuous Improvement, and, in his last three years, as Mine General Manager. His work with IOC primarily took place at their Carol Lake iron ore deposit in Labrador. Prior to joining IOC, Mr. Simpson worked as a process engineer for Hatch Ltd., designing and debottlenecking metallurgical refineries around the world. Mr. Simpson has extensive experience in mine design, operations and project management. Mr. Simpson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, as well as a Master of Business Administration degree, from Queen’s University in Canada.

Mr. Ptolemy has served as our Chief Financial Officer since July 2011. Mr. Ptolemy is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Certified General Accountant, and CFA charter holder. Mr. Ptolemy is also the Chief Financial Officer of various Toronto Stock Exchange and Cboe Canada listed public companies in the investment, fintech, and mining industries, as part of the Forbes & Manhattan, Inc. group of companies, such as Aberdeen International Inc. (since October 2010), Belo Sun Mining Corp. (since March 2010), and DeFi Technologies Inc. (formerly knowns as Valour Inc.) (since October 2009). Mr. Ptolemy also served as the Chief Financial Officer of EV Technology Group Ltd. from November 2020 to March 2024, and Sulliden Mining Capital Inc. from June 2020 to January 2024. Mr. Ptolemy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Administrative and Commercial Studies from Western University in Canada.

Mr. Said has served as our Corporate Secretary since June 2018. Mr. Said has also been the corporate secretary of Belo Sun Mining Corp., a Toronto Stock Exchange listed mining company, since July 2020, and the chairman of Bluelake Minerals AB, a company that explores and develops mineral properties, since January 2019. Prior to that, Mr. Said served as the corporate secretary of several companies, including at Arena Minerals Inc. from July 2015 to November 2017, and Fura Gems Inc. from February 2013 to November 2017. Mr. Said is also a business executive and corporate securities lawyer who provides consulting services to various private companies and Toronto Stock Exchange, TSX Venture Exchange, Cboe Canada and Canadian Securities Exchange listed public companies in the mining, oil & gas, cannabis, gaming, and technology industries, as part of the Forbes & Manhattan, Inc. group of companies. Mr. Said previously worked as a securities lawyer at a large Toronto corporate law firm, where he worked on a variety of corporate and commercial transactions. Mr. Said holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honors) degree with a minor in Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, and a Juris Doctor degree from the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto in Canada.

Mr. Espeschit has served as the President of Potássio do Brasil Ltda., our wholly-owned local subsidiary in Brazil, since September 2021. Prior to joining Potássio do Brasil Ltda., Mr. Espeschit was an Executive Director at J. Mendo Consultoria Ltda. from February 2010 to September 2021, an Operations Director at Mirabela Nickel from September 2008 to January 2010, a General Manager at the Mouth Keith Nickel Operations of BHP Billiton Australia from January 2007 to September 2008, a Project Leader at Shell Canada from November 2005 to December 2006 where he worked with the Fort McKay First Nation, and a General Manager at the Sossego Project at Vale S.A. from July 2000 to March 2005. Mr. Espeschit has over 35 years of experience building and operating mines globally for international companies, including having been involved in several mutually successful consultations with indigenous communities and working as contract leader at the Petromisa Potash mine in Brazil. Mr. Espeschit is a member of the Society for Mining Metallurgy and Exploration, the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, and the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr. Espeschit holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, and a Master of Business Administration degree in Strategic Business Management from São Paulo University in Brazil.