Stratmin Global Resources appoints Brett Boynton to the Board of Directors as incoming CEO

– UK, London – StratMin (AIM: STGR), London’s only listed graphite mining and production company is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Brett Boynton, CFA as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and an Executive Director of StratMin with immediate effect. Mr Manoli Yannaghas, current Managing Director, is standing down from the Board with immediate effect but will be working through a transition period and handover with Mr Boynton. He remains a shareholder and long term supporter of the Company.

Mr Yannaghas became Managing Director in July 2013 with a mandate to stabilise the merger between Graph Mada and Stratmin and to bring the Company’s first operation, the Loharano project, into production. Under Mr Yannaghas’ guidance, the Company has successfully transitioned from project developer to commercial operator with the signing of an off-take agreement, commissioning of the first plant and most recently delivering high grade 94% carbon in graphite for sale to our offtake partner. The Company has continued with successful exploration work to expand the asset base and is well positioned as a leader in the rapidly growing graphite market. Mr Yannaghas has built a strong in-country management team and leaves the Company well placed for the next stage of growth.

Mr Boynton is an experienced corporate financier with expertise as an investment banker in capital markets, mergers, acquisitions and private equity. More recently he has focused on project development in the resources industry, having funded and founded a number of Australian resource companies including DEI Ltd, Signature Gold Ltd and Tellus Holdings Ltd. Mr Boynton currently heads up the joint venture partner of Agripower Australia Limited, a private equity backed industrial minerals company focused on silicon products. Agripower is one of Australia’s largest industrial minerals companies and has a mining and processing operation very similar in nature to Stratmin’s graphite production. AgriPower’s extensive R&D program and global distribution provide a strong network for Stratmin to benefit from.

Mr Boynton has an undergraduate degree in Economics and Accounting from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from the highly regarded Fuqua program at Duke University in the USA. He has significant international finance experience as a senior banker with UBS and Credit Suisse in London, New York and Sydney.

In 2010, Mr Boynton left investment banking to co-found Tellus Holdings, a mining and hazardous waste management company with a portfolio of Australian assets. Here he led corporate development from seed funding of the company to asset acquisition, joint venturing and development of key commercial relationships. Mr Boynton managed the build out of the board of the company and stepped down as an Executive Director at the end of 2014 to begin working with Stratmin and its key shareholders.

During this period, he also founded Signature Gold, an investment company with a portfolio of Intrusion Related Gold Systems. Mr Boynton was the lead executive on the development of a portfolio of gold exploration properties and, as at Tellus Holdings, he led the development of financing from private and institutional investors as well as sourcing and managing the acquisition of a number of assets for the company. Mr Boynton’s Sydney based technical team has a wealth of experience in exploration, development, mine management and process engineering including operational expertise in graphite and in Africa. Mr Boynton himself comes from a mining family with deep roots in Southern Africa.

Laurie Hunter, Chairman, commented: “We thank Manoli for his commitment to the Company, bringing it to its current stage of development as a stable graphite producer with strong foundations for growth.

“I am delighted that Brett has accepted the invitation to become CEO. He is highly experienced and has impressive contacts in the Industrial Minerals space. I believe he has the drive and ability to take StratMin into the next stage of development and I am confident that he will make an excellent CEO.”

Brett Boynton, incoming CEO, commented: “I am very excited to be joining StatMin and working with the team to build a leader in the global graphite space. The Company is in an enviable position as one of very few graphite plays actually in production. This is an excellent platform for growth. The quality of the asset and now proven low operating cost environment in Madagascar will give us a sustainable advantage over other graphite developers. As an investor and investment advisor over the last 20 years I have evaluated a large number of resource opportunities and Stratmin is a standout with a strong foundation asset, producing cash flow and exceptional expansion potential

“I am looking forward to meeting our UK based investors and sharing some of our strategic plans for the Company.

“Our initial focus will be on further optimisation of the current operation but we are already working on expansion opportunities. The Australian market is really focused on graphite at the moment with successful companies achieving excellent valuations. I will be taking the Stratmin story to this audience to diversify the London shareholder base.”

- DisclaimerNews, data, and statements included in this release are intended exclusively for general information purposes. Talent4Boards does not guarantee that news is accurate or about the correct person and accepts neither liability for the consequences of the reader’s reliance, nor responsibility for the accuracy of the information. Nothing in this release should be considered for decisions about referred securities. Products and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

here, the original post =>