The Board & Management Team
The Board, which has over 100 years’ experience in mining and natural resources development, financing and corporate management, aims to utilise its experience and knowledge to deliver on the Company’s strategic growth objectives and build shareholder value.
Meet our leadership team
BOARD
Executive Director
Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director
Prior to establishing Critical Metals PLC, Mr. Fryer was the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Western Uranium Corporation, a Canadian listed uranium and vanadium explorer. Prior to Western Uranium Corporation, Mr Fryer was also the Non-Executive Chairman of Ecometals Limited, a Canadian mining company focused on South American bulk and precious metals. Before Ecometals, Mr Fryer was Managing Director covering the natural resources sector for North Sound Capital LLC, an investment advisor based in Greenwich, Connecticut. Mr. Fryer joined North Sound in 2006 from Deutsche Bank, where he had been a Director in Emerging Market Equities. Prior to that, Mr. Fryer was a Director in Emerging Market Equities at HSBC in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Over the course of his 28-year investment career, Mr. Fryer has travelled extensively obtaining on-the-ground understanding of the natural resources sector. In addition to this significant international travel, Mr. Fryer was based in Africa from 1987 to 2004. While there, Mr. Fryer gained knowledge of many of the properties he continues to follow and developed relationships at both senior and working levels throughout the industry. During his time in Africa, Mr. Fryer wrote investment columns for various news sources such as South African Smart Investor and the Sunday Business Times.
Mr Edwards-Jones is an Executive Chairman of Phoenix Copper Ltd, the AIM quoted North American focused base and precious metals exploration and development company. He is also Managing Director (and co-founder) of Lloyd Edwards-Jones S.A.S, a Paris and Dubai-based finance boutique specialising in selling equities to institutional clients and advising and introducing resources companies to an extensive client base in the UK, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Prior to founding Lloyd Edwards-Jones S.A.S, Mr. Edwards-Jones held senior positions with Julius Baer, and was head of UK/Continental European equity sales at Credit Lyonnais Securities in London. Mr. Edwards-Jones has significant experience in worldwide institutional capital raisings for UK, Australian & Canadian listed and unlisted companies predominately in the mining and resources sectors. He is a former director of Georgian Mining Corp. Mr Edwards-Jones graduated from Oxford University with an MA in Ancient & Modern History.
As a qualified PhD geologist, Dr. Bisnath has over 28 years' experience in the mining industry with a focus on geological exploration. He started his career with Anglo American Platinum Corporation Limited in South Africa and has spent most of his professional life within the African Continent.
Dr. Bisnath spent three years as a Lecturer in the Department Geology, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal ('UKZN') in South Africa. His advisory contributions in guiding various projects to success showcase his ability to navigate complex multi-commodity projects at different stages of their development. Awarded by the University of Cape Town, his Ph.D. research delved into continental geodynamics and evolution, showcasing his profound commitment to advancing geological understanding. Furthermore, his understanding of geological dynamics, coupled with his hands-on field experience across Africa, including the DRC, makes him an invaluable member of the Critical Metals team.
STRATEGY
Critical Metals is focused on acquiring and developing brownfield mining opportunities in the critical minerals sector, as defined by the United States and European Union critical minerals list.
The Board believes there are significant opportunities in the high-value critical metal space as demand increases and supply constraints are accentuated. Critical metals demand is being driven by both the traditional sectors, including high-tech manufacturing and defence, as well as fast-growing developing markets including wind turbines, electric vehicles, next-generation batteries, solar cells and energy-efficient lighting.
The Company is focused on advancing low CAPEX and OPEX near-term production opportunities in order to generate short-term cash flow and build significant value for shareholders. This includes projects where the Board believe assets have been overlooked and under-analysed. Critical Metals’ primary geographic focus is Southern Africa, although individual projects will be assessed on their own merits.
Testament to this strategy, Critical Metals is currently developing the previously producing Molulu copper cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and is focussed on returning the mine to production, targeting 120,000t/per annum of Copper Oxide Ore. Alongside this, the Company maintains an active growth strategy and through its extensive contact base is actively evaluating opportunities in commodities including tantalum, niobium, antimony, copper, cobalt and rare earth elements.
Critical Metals is listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange.