Board of Directors, Management & Operation Team

Eric Zaunscherb is a Canadian geologist with over 32 years, and 6 cycles, of experience as a mining analyst. He most recently served as Managing Director, Research – Metals & Mining Analyst at Canaccord Genuity where he co-ordinated the firm’s global mining equity research team. He has enjoyed working in Toronto, Vancouver, and London, experiencing best practices in Capital Markets at several leading firms and conducting hundreds of exploration, development and mining project site visits globally. He embraces new technologies and industry initiatives in diversity and socially responsible investing, ensuring that local communities receive lasting benefits from mineral resource development.

Jean-Sébastien Lavallée, P. Geo, has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Company since 2010. From 2010 to 2017, he also served as President. Mr. Lavallée was President and Chief Executive Officer of Quebec Precious Metals Corporation (TSX-V : QPM) from 2012 to May 2017. He also served as Director and Vice President Exploration in this Company from June 2017 to May 2021. Mr. Lavallée has been active in mining exploration since 1994. Mr. Lavallée has been on the Board of Directors of the Quebec Mineral Exploration Association “AEMQ” from 2017 to 2019. He is also working with Consul-Teck Exploration Minière Inc., a Val-d'Or based consulting firm. Most of the firm's mandates involve the generation and execution of projects in remote areas. Mr. Lavallée has acted as a geologist for many companies, including Eloro Resources Ltd., Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd., Noranda Minerals Inc. and, Champion Minerals Inc. Having been responsible for the planning and execution of many exploration programs in recent years, Mr. Lavallée has acquired solid experience in exploration project development.

Dr. Haber is the President of the Company since January 2017. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of Rockwood Lithium GmbH when Chemetall GmbH was legally split off in 2012. From 2011 to 2012, he was Managing Director of Chemetall GmbH and since 2007 President of Chemetall’s Lithium business. Prior to joining Chemetall GmbH, Dr. Haber worked in different executive positions for Sanofi-Aventis SA and its predecessor companies, in France. Dr. Haber completed his doctorate in organic chemistry at the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany, in 1991 and added one year as a Post-Doc at Ecole Polytechnique in Paris. In 1997, Dr. Haber earned his Bachelor of Science in Management from the International School of Management in San Diego, in the United States. Dr. Haber is a fellow of the International Directors Program of INSEAD.

Dr. Brune was Chief Financial Officer of Rockwood Lithium from 2011 until the acquisition by Albemarle in 2015. He left Albemarle in 2016 once the lithium business was successfully integrated into Albemarle‘s organizational structure. Prior to joining Rockwood Lithium, Dr. Brune had worked in different executive positions in corporate finance and M&A for Rockwood Holdings and its predecessor companies since 2004. Prior to that, he was with McKinsey as a strategy consultant for organizational development and management. Dr. Brune completed his doctorate in material sciences at the Technical University of Dortmund, Germany, after earning a physics degree.

Mr. Marc Simpson is President and Chief Executive Officer of Vanadian Energy Corp. Mr. Simpson has worked in the mining and exploration industry for over 33 years. He has worked for Junior, Mid-tier and Senior mining companies on projects both in Canada and worldwide, including Bema Gold (sold to Kinross for CDN$3.5 billion in 2007), B2Gold, and Echo Bay Mines. Mr. Simpson has been involved in exploration and mining projects from grass roots exploration through to mine development and production. Mr. Simpson obtained his B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Manitoba and is a member of Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia and Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of Manitoba.

Matthew Lauriston Starnes is a lawyer with over 22 years of experience. Mr. Starnes is currently a consultant lawyer based in Tokyo specializing in mining law, working on projects in Chile, Madagascar and Uzbekistan. Prior to this he was legal counsel in Sumitomo Corporation's Mineral Resources Division in Tokyo, Japan. Among other things, he was responsible for legal aspects of Sumitomo's investment in the Sierra Gorda copper project in Chile was also part of the team for the Ambatovy project in Madagascar. Prior to joining Sumitomo, he also was the General Counsel and Deputy CEO for the Ambatovy project. Mr. Starnes has also practiced as a corporate lawyer with major law firms in Montreal.

Ani Markova has over 25 years of experience in global capital markets, including a successful investment career managing up to $2 billion of mutual fund assets, she is an award-winning portfolio manager with a proven track record in integrating macroeconomic trends, equity analysis, and sustainability assessments into strategic capital allocations and risk management. She is an independent board member, currently an officer and director of SilverCrest Metals and prior director of Golden Star Resources. She has taken on board leadership roles and initiatives in corporate strategy and risk oversight. She is currently Chair of the Safety, Social and Environmental Responsibility Committee and a member of the Audit and Compensation Committees of SilverCrest Metals. With expertise in finance, macroeconomics and commodity cycles, as well as applying critical thinking in complex decision-making processes, she is committed to assisting businesses in their transitioning to a decarbonized and sustainable future. As a co-founder of Onyen Corporation and CEO of Investor View Advisory, she actively engages with companies on sustainability topics and provides guidance on disclosure and integration in enterprise risk management systems. Ms. Markova holds an MBA from George Washington University in Washington DC, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, an Investment Manager (ICM) designation, a Corporate Board International (CDI.D) designation, Competent Boards (GCB.D) designation and Climate and Biodiversity (CCB.D) designation.

Maysa Habelrih is a results-oriented executive and board director who leverages her global experience and track record of operational excellence, transformation of organizations, and growth. She has expertise in international joint venture and boards management, in complex environments. Presently, she is an independent Director of: Polycor Inc., Ressources Qualium Inc., Forage FTE Drilling, LDV consultants and Réseau 3S&E. From 2021 to March 2023 Maysa acted as the CEOof the Mouvement Québécois de la Qualité, a non-profit organization focused on increasing the competitiveness and productivity of Québec organizations. From 1989 to 2019, she worked at Alcan, which became Rio Tinto Aluminium in 2007. Maysa finished as General Manager/Vice President of Joint Ventures responsible for nine joint venture operations worldwide. Maysa holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in chemical engineering from McGill University in Montreal, as well as the International Masters Program for Managers (IMPM).

Nathalie Laurin has over 30 years of experience in administration and accounting. The experience gained through working in various roles with increasing responsibilities, primarily in the natural resources sector, has given her a solid mastery of finance and project management. Since 2006, she has acted as corporate secretary and/or chief financial officer for several companies, most notably mineral exploration companies, including Critical Elements Lithium Corporation, Delta Resources Limited, MPV Exploration Inc., Quebec Precious Metals Corporation and BlackRock Metals.

Mr. Hughes Périgny, P.Eng. has over 29 years of experience in engineering, construction and project management in the industrial and mining sectors. He has participated in several industrial and mining projects with IAMGOLD (Boto project, Senegal), Mason Graphite (Lac Guéret, Quebec) as well as several projects with the Rio Tinto group (QMM Madagascar, QMP Metal Powders Suzhou, China and QMP, Sorel-Tracy). He also participated in the construction of the Renard mine with Stornoway from 2014 to 2019. He held the position of France & Asia Project Director for Loop Industries from 2021 to present. Mr. Périgny holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal.

Mr. Michel Clément, P.Eng., PMP has a vast experience in project control and risk analysis acquired in Québec and internationally. Mr. Clément has also more than 25 years of experience in engineering, construction, project management and control, as well as project risk analysis in the industrial and mining sectors. He has been involved in numerous projects, notably with Stornoway Diamonds, Rio Tinto Alcan, the Iron Ore Company of Canada, and Mason Graphite (Lac Guéret, Québec). He also held different engineering positions, including Project Leader, with Rolls-Royce. Mr. Clément holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Université de Sherbrooke and also holds the Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute.

Mr. Andy Fortin holds a bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Laval University in Québec City. Mr. Fortin brings to the Company a solid operational experience acquired in Northern Québec and Nunavut. He has over 25 years of experience in leading continuous improvement of metallurgical processes, asset management, health and safety culture and risk management. He has been involved in numerous projects in process design, commissioning to achieve production capacity and operational improvement, notably with Québec Iron Ore, Newmont / Goldcorp, Agnico-Eagle Mines and Inmet Mining Corporation.

Mr. Sébastien Perreault has over 25 years of experience in open-pit mining operations and mining project management both in Quebec and abroad. Mr. Perreault contributed to the successful start-up of several mining projects along with the establishment of operational teams at several mining companies, including Barrick, High River Gold, Sherritt, SEMAFO Inc. and IAMGOLD Corporation. He holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in mining engineering from Université Laval in Quebec City.

Ms. Duquet-Harvey has over 25 years’ experience in environmental studies, environmental monitoring and working closely with local aboriginal groups. She has contributed to the successful implementation of numerous environmental programs at several mining companies, including Agnico Eagle – Nunavut, Alamos Gold – Young-Davidson, Kirkland Lake Gold – Macassa Mine, New Britannia Mine – Manitoba and Kinross Gold – Macassa Mine, Bell Creek Mill. Ms. Duquet-Harvey holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management from Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia and a Mining Engineering Technician from the Haileybury School of Mines.

Mr. Lloyd Mayappo has more than 30 years of experience as a foreman, project manager and contact person within the Eastmain Cree Nation. He has served 12 years in the political field as Councillor and Chief for Cree Nation of Eastmain with an excellent knowledge of the New Relationship Agreement with the Gouvernment of Quebec and Canada. Worked for Hydro-Québec/Société d’énergie de la Baie-James as an advisor of Cree Relations on the EM-1 A/Sarcelle/Rupert diversion project. Recently, was the Director of construction operations in civil works for Wechidodao a Cree company in partnership with Excavation Michel Paradis Inc. in Eastmain. Mr. Mayappo speaks fluently French, English and Cree.