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ArafuraHistory

Stephen Ward Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer

Qualifications BSc (Hons),Chemistry, PhD in Physical Chemistry

Appointed 1 January 2010

Stephen (Steve) Ward has over 30 years experience in the Chemical, mining and minerals processing industries. He is a graduate from the University of Nottingham; BSc Hons Chemistry (1976) and PhD in Physical Chemistry (1979).

Steve gained 20 years broad experience with titanium pigment producer Tioxide Group Ltd (now Huntsman Pigments) where he worked in production, operational, engineering and technical roles at the Australian production facility. He became the inaugural General Manager responsible for the development and start-up of Tioxide’s manufacturing facilities in Malaysia (early 90’s). He has subsequently moved to business management roles based in the UK and became an executive director of the global company with general management responsibility for the European, Middle East and Southern Africa business unit.

 He then spent 7 years with Australian publicly listed minerals sands producer Iluka where he was President of the USA mining and processing operations and global Executive General Manager responsible for sales and marketing and business development.

 He then formed his own consulting business providing services to the resources and chemicals industries.

He subsequently joined Cristal, a Saudi Arabian based titanium pigment producer as Senior Vice President Strategy and Development for a 3 year period. Steve was appointed a non-executive director of Arafura in 2007 and became Managing Director and Chief Executive officer at the beginning of 2010.  He is a former non- executive director of Consolidated Rutile Ltd and former Executive Chairman of Bemax Resources Ltd. 

Steve is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors

 

 

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Gavin Lockyer  Company Secretary / CFO

Qualifications BBus, CA

Appointed 19 June 2006

Gavin Lockyer is a graduate in accounting and finance. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a member of the Finance and Treasury Association of Australia. He has 15 years experience in the banking and mining industries.

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Richard Brescianini  General Manager - Exploration & Development

Qualifications BSc(Hons)

Appointed 18 March 2007

Richard Brescianini is a graduate in geology and geophysics, and has extensive private and public sector experience in the minerals industry in a career that spans over 20 years.

From 1987 to 1999, Richard worked with BHP Minerals on base and precious metals exploration programs throughout Australasia and North America, contributing to significant economic discoveries at Eloise (copper-gold) and Cannington (silver-lead-zinc).

Richard led the Northern Territory Government’s Geological Survey as its Director from 2003 to 2007, and was responsible for major geoscience initiatives and investment attraction strategies. Prior to that he was the Survey’s Chief Geophysicist.

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Shasha Lu Non - Executive Director

Qualifications PhD, Masters degree

Appointed 1 July 2009

Ms. Shasha Lu was Executive Director and CEO of Hong Kong East China Non-Ferrous Mineral Resources Co. Ltd. (HKECE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Eastern China Exploration & Development Bureau (ECE). HKECE holds the foreign business interests of ECE.

As an employee of Arafura and based in Nanjing in the Peoples Republic of China, Ms. Lu is responsible for Business Development opportunities and synergies for Arafura within China.

Ms Lu holds a Degree in Medicine  and a Masters Degree from Nanjing University, China.  She is currently studying for an EMBA in Nanjing University.  Ms Lu has worked as a Postdoctoral fellow at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden and as a Visiting Scholar at the Geneva University during which time, she undertook some work in the World Health Organisation.

In 2008, Ms Lu Shasha joined Eastern China Exploration & Development Bureau and became the executive director and CEO of Hong Kong East China Non-Ferrous Mineral Resources Co Ltd.  Ms Lu is also a director of Australian ECE Nolans Investment Limited and ECE Nolans.

 

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Neil Graham General Manager Operations & Technology

Qualifications BSc (Hons) Chemical Engineering, C.Eng.

Appointed 1st September 2010

Neil Graham has more than 25 years of international experience in the chemical industry, encompassing design, construction, and commissioning of both start up and brownfield installations, in addition to substantial operations management experience of facilities in several different countries.

He is a chartered engineer who commenced his professional career in BP prior to joining ICI, where he was involved in major project design and implementation roles. He developed the Asian market presence of Rittershaus & Blecher and subsequently completed several technical and site manager roles in Huntsman Pigments before becoming the Group Sulphate Manufacturing Director.

More recently, Neil was responsible for Orica’s largest and most complex facility worldwide, in Gladstone QLD, producing ammonium nitrate, sodium cyanide and chloralkali products, and joined Arafura Resources on 1st September 2010.

 

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John Ganser General Manager - Projects

Qualifications BE (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

Appointed 13 September 2010

John Ganser is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Adelaide with over 30 years of experience in the minerals and metals industry.  He has worked for client organisations as well as engineering and project management organisations, including Rio Tinto, BHP, Iluka Resources, Hatch, SKM GHD and Calibre Projects.

His experience includes engineering, study and project management and research and development, in a range of commodities including silver, lead, zinc, copper, nickel, mineral sands and extensive experience in iron making.  In these roles John has developed plant, equipment and processes from concept through to the commercialisation of new processes and the construction of large processing facilities.

John has had senior project management roles in the development of the HIsmelt process (Rio Tinto) in Germany and construction of their large research facility in Western Australia, BHP’s HBI plant in Port Hedland, infrastructure for BHP’s RGP6 project and FMG’s Christmas Creek Expansion Project in the Pilbara.

 

 

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Gary Cianfichi Sales & Marketing Advisor  

Qualifications Bachelor of Science, Paper Science and Engineering

Gary Cianfichi, a co-founding member of Tilnsight, LLC, a Titanium Dioxide Industry consulting firm, worked for 27 years at Cristal Global, the world's second largest producer of titanium dioxide products.

He held a number of positions including Vice President-Marketing & Sales, Vice President - Sales, Vice President - Global Coatings Business, Vice President - Supply Chain and IT, Vice President - Corporate Communications and Government Affairs, and Director of Sales - Europe, The Middle East and Africa.

He was the chairman of the CeficTitanium Dioxide trade association in Europe for six years, is a past member of the US National Paint and Coatings Association Board of Directors (now ACA) and co-chaired two Intertech-Pira TiO2 conferences.

 

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