Directors and Management

Directors

Mr Wayne Malouf – Executive Chairman

Wayne Malouf served as CEO of Titanium Resources Group (TRG) from 2002 to 2005 and TRG’s Executive Vice-Chairman from 2005 to early 2008 where he oversaw the company’s IPO listing on the AIM Exchange and the successful restart of the Sierra Rutile titanium mine and Sierra Minerals bauxite mine. From 2008 to 2010 Mr Malouf served as CEO of Diamond Fields Resources (DFI) and continues to serve as DFI’s non-executive Chairman. He returned to TRG as Executive Chairman from August 2010 to February 2011 to assist in organizational and operational matters. Mr Malouf has a BA and JD from St Mary’s University of San Antonio, Texas and an MA in social sciences (economics and international relations) from the University of Chicago. In addition to his minerl sands experience, Mr Malouf has been a practicing attorney since 1987. His current directorships include Diamond Fields International Ltd and certain of its subsidiaries.

 

Mr Bruce Griffin – Chief executive Officer

Bruce Griffin is an experienced executive and brings relevant international mineral sands experience to World Titanium. His 7 years at BHP Billiton included 4 years as Vice President Titanium where he had responsibility for BHP Billiton’s titanium business, including the Richards Bay Minerals joint venture with Rio Tinto and the Corridor Sands and Tigen projects in Mozambique.

Prior to joining World Titanium Resources Bruce was Managing Director of MIL Resources an ASX listed Papua New Guinea focussed exploration company. His prior roles included Group General Manager Storage and Logistics at GrainCorp, seven years at BHP Billiton, nine years in a variety of operational and commercial positions with Shell, and as a management consultant with Bain & Company.

Bruce holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Chemical and Process Engineering from Canterbury University, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Massey University and an MBA from the Melbourne Business School.

 

Mr Norman Roderick (Rod) Baker– Non-Executive Director

Rod Baker has worked for forty years as a mineral exploration geologist, in many countries in five continents. Educated in England, he started his professional career in North Sea Gas before joining the Anglo American Corporation to work in southern Africa.  He then joined a South African consulting group, and carried out work for clients such as Rio Tinto, Selection Trust, U.S. Steel, Falconbridge and Billiton on a number of commodities.  He subsequently became an independent consultant, working largely for the United Nations and other clients in Africa, India and the Americas.  For the last twenty years he has been mostly engaged in pursuit of his own diamond and gold interests in South America.

Until recently, he was a non-executive director of Titanium Resources Group, and was a founding director of Diamond Field Resources Inc.

 

Mr Tristan Davenport – Non-Executive Director

Tristan Davenport was educated at Millfield School and subsequently studied Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of London (SOAS). He later trained at De Beers’ London office as a diamond sorter and studied diamond gemology at the Gemological Association of Great Britain. In 1995 he joined America Mineral Fields and worked on various mining projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has established and managed heavy mineral processing laboratories in support of exploration programmes in Finland and Norway and has designed and managed exploration projects for companies in Zambia, Sierra Leone and Madagascar.

 

Mr Darren Morcombe – Non-Executive Director

Darren Morcombe has more than 20 years of professional experience in a variety of natural resource roles in Australia, United States and Switzerland commencing with over 10 years in senior roles with Normandy Mining Limited and Newmont Mining Corp. in the areas of financing, treasury, mergers and acquisitions. He is the founder of Springtide Capital Pty Ltd, which is a private investment company specialising in investments in microcap listed companies, venture capital and resource orientated companies. He was Chairman and major shareholder of a refining and gold financing company European Gold Refineries SA, Europe’s largest gold refinery, and Director of AGR Matthey Ltd, one of the largest gold refineries in the world. He retired from this position in 2008 and these businesses are now owned by Newmont Mining Corporation. Darren is a major shareholder of several public companies and also the Chairman of Foran Mining Corporation listed in Canada.

 

Dr Ian Ransome MSc – Non-Executive Director

Ian Ransome is a geologist, whose academic qualifications include an MSc in geochemistry and a PhD in geology. He has more than 20 years’ experience as an exploration geologist, using a multidisciplinary approach to generating and evaluating exploration targets in diamonds, gold, nickel, base and rare metals. Most of his experience has been in a broad range of African countries, including a nickel laterite project in Madagascar. Dr Ransome is presently a director and CEO of Diamond Fields International Ltd.

 

Mr Gooroodeo (Mahen) Sookun – Non-Executive Director

Mahen Sookun is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK) and holds an MBA (Finance) from the University of Leicester (UK). He has served in private and public companies during the last twenty years as Corporate Finance Executive in Mauritius and Africa in diverse sectors such public utilities, agriculture and textiles, real estates development and mining. Before joining World Titanium, he was the Group Finance and Administrative Manager of Titanium Resources Limited, a company involved in mineral resources and mining and listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. He is also currently the Director, CFO and Secretary of Diamond Fields International, a public company listed in Toronto.  In Mauritius, Mr Sookun is the Head of Finance of the largest Real Estate Development in the Anahita Integrated Resort Scheme Development promoted by the CIEL Group.

 

Dr Richard Valenta – Non-Executive Director

Richard Valenta has 30 years of exploration experience in Australia, Canada, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and other parts of Latin America. Prior to his current role, Dr Valenta was Managing Director of Bondi Mining, Chief Operating Officer of TSX-listed Fronteer Development Ltd, Chief Geoscientist of TSX-listed Aurora Energy Resources Ltd, and Central American Exploration Manager for Mount Isa Mines Exploration Ltd. Dr Valenta has a proven track record for discovery of high-grade gold, copper-gold and uranium resources and has been directly involved in the greenfield exploration, discovery and development of multi-million ounce gold and world-class uranium resources in the Americas and Asia. He is also Managing Director of Chesser Resources Limited.

 

Mr Jeffrey W Williams – Non-Executive Director

Jeffrey Williams was the former Managing Director of Mineral Deposits Limited (MDL). He established Nimbus Resources (now MDL) in 1997, and acquired mineral sands assets from BHP-Billiton near Hawks Nest on the New South Wales coast in 1998. He then secured the Sabodala gold and Grande Cote zircon projects in Senegal in West Africa. Mr Williams was Managing Director of MDL until 2011.

Prior to MDL Mr Williams acquired 16 years’ of experience as a professional mining engineer in Australia and seven years in the stockbroking industry, and is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. His mining experience ranges from mine planning, underground management and feasibility studies through to mine development. From 1972 to 1984, he held various positions with CRA Limited at Broken Hill in New South Wales. Following completion of his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) programme in 1987, he played a major role as a Senior Project Engineer with North Limited. From 1989 to 1996, he specialised in gold mining research in the stock broking industry. Prior to establishing Nimbus Resources in 1997, he was the Head of Resources Research at James Capel Australia. Mr Williams is currently a Non-Executive Director of Archean Star Resources and MacPhersons Reward Gold Limited.

 

Management

Jules LeClezio – Country Manager Madagascar

Jules LeClezio has lived in Madagascar for more than fourteen years, and is WTR’s country manager. He has in-depth knowledge and experience in establishing and managing companies in Madagascar, and has been involved in all aspects of WTR operations. During this time, Jules established a large network of contacts within Madagascar. He was instrumental in forming the Association for the Development of Industrial Mining in Madagascar (now the Chamber of Commerce) and was heavily involved in setting up Australian Doctors for Africa in Madagascar.

 

Peter Woods – Consultant Geologist

Peter Woods holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) and a Doctorate of Philosophy (Geology) from the University of Western Australia. He has more than 20 years experience in the mining and exploration industry specialising in base metals, gold and industrial minerals, and as a consulting environmental scientist. He has worked in Madagascar since 1994. He discovered the Ranobe mineral sand deposit and is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists.