Skip to main content
Menu

Board & Management

Scroll to main content
Close
  • Board of Directors
  • Management
Portrait

Alan R. Hill, Chairman
Non-Independent

Mr. Hill most recently served as a director of Gold Fields Ltd from 2009 to 2016. He previously served as President and CEO of Gabriel Resources Ltd., from May 2005 to March 2009. At Gabriel he led a team that redesigned the Rosia Montana project, a large-scale gold project in Europe, to be fully compliant with the strict new standards set by the European Union. Prior to leading Gabriel, Mr. Hill served from 2004 through 2007 as Non-Executive Chairman of Alamos Gold Inc., a gold company constructing its first mine in Mexico. Before retiring in 2003, Mr. Hill spent 20 years at Barrick where, as Executive Vice President, Development, he oversaw project evaluations, acquisitions and development of many of Barrick’s major mines in North America, South America, Africa and Australia. Mr. Hill holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in mining engineering and rock mechanics from Leeds University in the U.K.

Committees: Technical, Safety & Environment Committee, Sustainability Committee, and Risk Management Committee (Chair)
Portrait

Richard Young, President and Chief Executive Officer
Non-Independent Director

Richard Young is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Teranga Gold. Mr. Young is on the board of the World Gold Council. He culminates over 25-years of extensive experience in the gold industry. A Chartered Professional Accountant, Mr. Young joined Barrick Gold Corporation (ABX-T) in 1991 and served in a series of positions of increasing responsibility in finance, corporate development, investor relations and mine development. Prior to joining Teranga in 2010, Mr. Young served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Gabriel Resources Ltd. for five years. Mr. Young holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Western Ontario as well as a Graduate Diploma in Public Accountancy from McGill University.
Portrait

Jendayi Frazer, Independent Director

Dr. Frazer is the President and CEO of 50 Ventures, LLC, a strategic consulting and investment firm focused on Africa. She is also Managing Partner of Africa Exchange Holdings, Ltd., a private sector initiative to build Africa’s equity and commodity markets. She serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Africa Exchange Holdings Company Ltd. and the East Africa Exchange Ltd., agricultural commodity exchanges in Nigeria and Rwanda respectively. She is also a Director of the MasterCard Foundation, an independent organization promoting financial inclusion and youth learning in Africa. She was a Distinguished Public Service Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, where she was on faculty at the Heinz College School of Public Policy and Management and in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences. She was also the Director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for International Policy and Innovation and is an Adjunct Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations where she chairs the “Africa Strategic Opportunities” high-level roundtable series. Dr. Frazer was the first female U.S. Ambassador to South Africa in 2004 through 2005, she was the leading architect of U.S. - Africa policy for nearly a decade, and thereafter served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs to President Bush and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council from 2005 to January 2009. Dr. Frazer holds a B.A. in Political Science and African and Afro-American Studies, M.A. degrees in International Policy Studies and International Development Education, and a Ph.D. in Political Science, all from Stanford University.

Areas of Expertise: International Development, Finance and Capital Markets, Government Relations

Committees: Sustainability Committee (Chair) and Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee

Portrait

William Biggar, Independent Director

Mr. Biggar is a corporate director who has held senior executive positions in the mining, real estate, and investment industries. From 2008 to 2012, Mr. Biggar was President and CEO of TSX-listed North American Palladium Ltd, the world’s only pure play palladium producer. Prior to that, he was Managing Director at the private equity firm Richardson Capital Ltd. from 2004 to 2007, and President and CEO of TSX/NYSE listed Granite REIT from 2003 to 2004. Mr. Biggar has also held senior executive positions with Magna International Inc. and Barrick Gold Corporation, and Managing Director positions (with a particular emphasis on mergers and acquisitions) at Merrill Lynch Canada and UBS Securities. He has further experience serving on the board of a number of public and private companies and is currently on the board of TSX-listed True North Commercial REIT. Mr. Biggar is a CPA, CA and holds Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Toronto.

Areas of Expertise: International Finance and Capital Markets, Metals and Mining, Real Estate

Committees: Finance Committee (Chair), Audit Committee and Compensation Committee
Portrait

Simon Bottoms, Independent Director

Simon Bottoms is currently Senior Vice President, Africa & Middle East Mineral Resource Manager for Barrick, where he is responsible for the management of all Africa and Middle East mine operations and project technical teams as the lead technical executive for the region. Prior to his current position, Mr. Bottoms was Group Mineral Resource Manager for Randgold, which was subsequently acquired by Barrick in 2018. During his career Mr. Bottoms has gained extensive experience in exploration and evaluation across a range of commodities, leading teams through technical studies that underpinned the extension and construction of mine operations, in a succession of roles with increasing responsibility for Goldfields, Randgold and Barrick. Mr. Bottoms achieved his Master of Geology from the University of Southampton School of Ocean & Earth Science. He is a chartered geologist and Fellow of the Geological Society of London and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy.

Areas of Expertise: Metals & Mining Operations (Technical), M&A Execution, International Business Experience and Global Partnerships, Talent Development and Allocation
Portrait

David Mimran, Independent Director

As a director and Teranga’s largest shareholder, Mr. Mimran brings to the team tremendous knowledge and experience in operating within West Africa. He is head of Tablo Corporation, Miminvest SA, and Mimran Natural Resources, all established as investment vehicles into West Africa’s natural resource sector by Mr. Mimran and the Mimran Group, a family conglomerate with a history of successful business operations in Africa and Europe. Previous roles included Vice Chairman and founding partner of Breeden Partners, L.P. from 2006 to 2012, an actively managed investment fund focused on value generation in U.S. public companies, and Vice Chairman of Milestone Merchant Partners, a Washington-based investment bank from 2003 to 2005. Prior to 2003, he was the President of several food processing, grain and shipping companies across Europe and West Africa. Mr. Mimran has served as a director and principal to the Bank of West Africa (CBAO), one of the largest banking groups in the region, as well as Archer Daniels Midland Company. Mr. Mimran is currently a director of the Mimran Group.

Areas of Expertise: International Development, Finance and Capital Markets, Government Relations.

Committees: Finance Committee and Sustainability Committee
Portrait

Alan R. Thomas, Independent Director

Mr. Thomas has been the CFO of Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Corporation (formerly Labrador Iron Ore Trust) since 2006, and served on its board of directors from 2004 to 2016. Mr. Thomas served on the board of directors of Gabriel Resources Ltd. from May 2006 until June 2010. From 2000 to 2006, he held the position of Vice-President and CFO of ShawCor Ltd., an energy services firm headquartered in Toronto with manufacturing and service operations around the world. Previously, he was the CFO of Noranda Inc. from 1987 to 1998. Mr. Thomas is a Chartered Professional Accountant and graduate of the University of Toronto.

Areas of Expertise: Finance and Accounting, Metals and Mining, International Business

Committees: Audit Committee (Chair), Compensation Committee and Risk Management Committee

Portrait

Frank Wheatley, Independent Director

Mr. Wheatley was formerly CEO of Karmalyte Resources Inc., a position he had held since February 2018. Prior to that, he was the CEO and director of Yellowhead Mining Inc, from 2013 through January 2018. Mr. Wheatley served as the Executive Director, Corporate Affairs and Strategy of Talison Lithium Ltd., the world’s largest lithium producer, from January 2010 until March 2013 when it was acquired by Chengdu Tianqi Industry (Group) Co through a hostile take-over bid. Mr. Wheatley was the Vice-President and General Counsel of Gabriel Resources Ltd., from 2000 to 2009, and prior to which, the President and COO of Gabriel Resources Ltd. from March 1999 to October 2000. Before joining Gabriel Resources Ltd., Mr. Wheatley was Vice-President, Legal Affairs of Eldorado Gold Corporation. Mr. Wheatley has 35 years of experience as a director and senior officer of, and legal counsel to, a number of Canadian public mining companies and has extensive legal and business experience in the mineral industry, particularly in the areas of public financing, project debt financing, permitting of large-scale mining projects, and strategic mergers and acquisitions in the international minerals industry. Mr. Wheatley received his Bachelor of Commerce and LL.B. degrees from the University of British Columbia.

Areas of Expertise: Legal, International Finance and Capital Markets, Metals and Mining, International Business

Committees: Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee (Chair) and Compensation Committee (Chair)

Portrait

Paula Caldwell St-Onge, Independent Director

Ms. Caldwell had a 30-year career in the Canadian public service. She began her career with the Government of Canada’s Federal Environmental Assessment Agency and held progressively senior positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Privy Council Office, Environment Canada and Global Affairs Canada. She has also been the recipient of the Head of the Public Service Award for Excellence in Policy and the Queen’s Gold Jubilee medal.
Portrait

Richard Young, President and Chief Executive Officer
Non-Independent Director

Richard Young is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Teranga Gold. Mr. Young is on the board of the World Gold Council. He culminates over 25-years of extensive experience in the gold industry. A Chartered Professional Accountant, Mr. Young joined Barrick Gold Corporation (ABX-T) in 1991 and served in a series of positions of increasing responsibility in finance, corporate development, investor relations and mine development. Prior to joining Teranga in 2010, Mr. Young served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Gabriel Resources Ltd. for five years. Mr. Young holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Western Ontario as well as a Graduate Diploma in Public Accountancy from McGill University.
Portrait

Paul Chawrun, Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Chawrun has been part of the Teranga team since September 2012 where he previously served as Teranga’s Vice President, Technical Services, playing a fundamental role in steering the successful acquisition and integration of the Oromin Joint Venture Group (“OJVG”) property, the development of the high-grade Gora satellite deposit, and driving several high-return organic growth initiatives. Prior to Teranga, he served in a number of senior management positions for organizations focused on project development, including Director of Technical Services for Detour Gold from 2009-2011. Initially a geologist with Corona Corporation starting in 1988, he worked in mine operations from 1993 to 2006 where he continually advanced his responsibility in technical and operating roles for Fording Coal (now part of Teck Resources) and Suncor Energy. A professional engineer, Mr. Chawrun is a graduate from Queen's University in mining engineering, also holding degrees in geology from McMaster University and a Master's of Business Administration from Athabasca University.
Portrait

Navin Dyal, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Dyal joined the company from Barrick Gold Corporation after 7 years where he was most recently head of finance for the Copper Business Unit. His progressive, expansive experience includes roles that were close to the operations and spans all areas of finance such as planning, budgeting, implementing key projects, internal controls, external reporting, working on highly complex accounting transactions and training staff globally. Mr. Dyal began his career in one of the largest accounting firms. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.
Portrait

David Savarie, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Affairs and People

Mr. Savarie most recently served as Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Gabriel Resources Ltd., from January 2007 to November 2010. Before joining Gabriel in 2007, Mr. Savarie served as Corporate Counsel to a contract manufacturer in the pharmaceutical industry, prior to which he was in private practice with the law firm of Miller Thomson LLP in Toronto. Mr. Savarie received his Bachelor of History from the University of Western Ontario and his Bachelor of Laws from Queen’s University.
Portrait

Aziz Sy, Regional General Manager, West Africa

Since 2014, Mr. Sy has been an integral member of Teranga Gold’s senior management team, acting as Teranga’s primary government liaison in West Africa and ensuring compliance with the company’s in-country obligations and its corporate code of conduct. Mr. Sy has developed and maintains the long-term strategic plan for Teranga’s community relations and environmental management departments and also supports the company’s strategic growth initiatives, with a particular focus on permitting and lease approvals. Prior to joining Teranga, Mr. Sy served as Vice President Senegal Operations for the Oromin Joint Venture Group (2010-2014), Senior Manager Exploration of Lonmin for West and Central Africa (2007-2010) and Randgold Resources’ Country and Exploration Manager for Senegal (1995-2007). Mr. Sy is a geological engineer with a M.Sc. and MBA from Université du Québec.
Portrait

Chantal Da Silva, Vice President, Legal Affairs

Ms. Da Silva has over 15 years’ legal experience as a solicitor at international law firms and as corporate in-house counsel advising public and private companies on matters relating to M&A, corporate, commercial and securities law, financings, reorganizations, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, government relations, litigation, employment and risk management in the natural resources and financial services industries in Canada, Europe and West Africa. Ms. Da Silva established and manages Teranga’s regional office and staff in Paris, France. She is a director of several Teranga affiliates, chairs all director and shareholder meetings of Teranga’s West African subsidiaries and manages the corporate secretarial function at the subsidiary level. Prior to joining Teranga in 2012, Ms. Da Silva worked at Aon PLC and Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP (now Dentons Canada). Ms. Da Silva holds a Juris Doctor (J.D.) in Common Law and a Licentiate in Civil Law (LL.L.) from the University of Ottawa, a Masters in International Business Law (LL.M.) from Sorbonne University (Paris) and a Bachelor of Political Science & History (B.A.) from McGill University.
Portrait

Gwennael Guillen, Vice President, Sustainability

With nearly 25 years of professional experience in a wide variety of environments around the world, Ms. Guillen has been working as an expert in Health Safety, Environment and Community Relations on mining projects for 12 years. She studied in France and holds degrees in Chemical Engineering and Health and Environmental Engineering, and has completed the Executive Program at Queen’s University.
Portrait

Nancy Lee, Vice President, Human Resources

Nancy Lee was appointed to the role of Vice President, Human Resources in 2018. Since joining Teranga in 2012, Ms. Lee has held several management roles within the HR function. She is responsible for developing talent across the Company and has led our succession planning and talent mobility programs to enable our growth in West Africa. Ms. Lee has over 20 years of experience in human resources with a focus on talent management with global companies across several industries in Africa, Asia, North America. Prior to joining Teranga Gold, Ms. Lee held the role of Director, Talent Management at Manulife Financial where she led projects in Asia and North America. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Portrait

David Mallo, Vice President, Exploration

Mr. Mallo has over 35 years of mineral exploration experience predominantly in project evaluation and management of exploration programs. Mr. Mallo was an integral part of the acquisition, discovery, and exploration team at the world-class Eskay Creek gold deposit in northern British Columbia as Manager-Advanced Projects with Prime Explorations Ltd. As Executive Vice President of Exploration for Adrian Resources Ltd., Mr. Mallo managed exploration programs through feasibility at the world-class Petaquilla copper-gold property in Panama. More recently, Mr. Mallo was the Vice President of Exploration for Oromin Explorations Ltd. at the OJVG Gold Project in Senegal where he was responsible for the advanced exploration campaigns from its 2004 inception through feasibility and merger with Teranga in 2013. While managing the exploration program, the project progressed from a grassroots property to a viable multi-million-ounce gold property hosting numerous gold discoveries, including Teranga's Masato and Golouma deposits. Mr. Mallo holds a Bachelor of Science (Specialist) degree from Brandon University.
Portrait

Trish Moran, Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications

Ms. Moran has over 25 years of experience in investor relations and communications, including the mining and financial services industries.
Portrait

Leily Omoumi, Vice President, Corporate Development

Leily Omoumi has over 15 years of experience in the mining industry and capital markets. Most recently, Ms. Omoumi was at BMO Global Asset Management, where she had sole responsibility for mining and small to mid-cap energy equity investments. Prior to that role, she was a sell-side precious metals equity research analyst at Scotia Capital. Ms. Omoumi began her career in mining at Hatch Consulting, a global engineering firm, focusing on the engineering design, analysis, feasibility, and commissioning of mining projects. She completed her BSc in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Toronto, and earned an MBA in Finance from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
Portrait

Cindy Waterman, Corporate Secretary

Cindy Waterman joined Teranga Gold in January 2011. Previously, Ms. Waterman gained 15 years of corporate and securities law experience as a Legal Assistant with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. She holds a Human Resources Management diploma from Durham College, in addition to obtaining honours in the Corporate Law Clerk course from the Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario. Ms. Waterman most recently obtained a GPC.D designation from the Governance Professionals of Canada.
Portrait

Andrew Zdunich, Chief Security Officer

A former Colonel in the Canadian Army, Andrew Zdunich’s military career spanned 27 years and included command of tank and reconnaissance forces in Canada, Bosnia, Central Africa and Afghanistan. Transitioning to the private security industry as an executive with leading international providers, he advised on and formulated enterprise-wide security management strategies for multinational entities operating in complex environments including Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and the Sahel region of Africa. Mr. Zdunich is a Member of the Security Institute, holds both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from the Royal Military College of Canada, and earned an MBA with specialization in strategy from the University of Edinburgh.