Board
Mr Richard Homsany
Non-Executive Chairman
Mr Richard Homsany is an experienced corporate lawyer and has extensive board and operational experience in the resources and energy sectors. He is Executive Chairman of ASX listed uranium exploration and development company Toro Energy Limited (ASX:TOE), Executive Vice President, Australia of TSX listed uranium exploration company Mega Uranium Ltd (TSX:MGA) and the principal of Cardinals Lawyers and Consultants, a boutique corporate and energy & resources law firm.
Richard is Chairman of the Health Insurance Fund of Australia Ltd (HIF) and listed Redstone Resources Limited (ASX:RDS) and Central Iron Ore Limited (TSX-V:CIO) and is a non-executive director of Brookside Energy Ltd (ASX: BRK). Richard’s past career includes time working at the Minera Alumbrera Copper and Gold mine located in the Catamarca Province, north west Argentina.
Mr Juan Pablo (‘JP’) Vargas de la Vega
Managing Director
JP is a Chilean/Australian mineral industry professional with 20 years’ broad experience in ASX mining companies, stockbroking and private equity firms. JP has been a specialist lithium analyst in Australia, operated a private copper business in Chile and has worked for BHP, Rio Tinto and Codelco. He was the founder of and vendor of the original Argentinian assets and has been Galan’s Managing Director since mid 2018.
Mr Daniel Jimenez
Non-Executive Director
A civil industrial engineer Mr Jimenez has worked for world leader in the lithium industry Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (NYSE:SQM, Santiago Stock Exchange: SQM-A, SQM-B) for 28 years based in Santiago, Chile. His last position was as Vice President of Sales of Lithium, Iodine and Industrial Chemicals where he formulated the commercial strategy and marketing of SQM’s industrial products and was responsible for over US$900 million worth of estimated sales in 2018.
Mr Terry Gardiner
Non-Executive Director
Mr Gardiner has 25 years’ experience in capital markets, stockbroking & derivatives trading and prior to that had many years trading in equities & derivatives for his family accounts. Currently a Director of boutique stockbroking firm Barclay Wells Limited, a Non-Executive Director of Cazaly Resources Ltd and Non-Executive Chairman of Charger Metals NL plus non-executive positions with other ASX listed entities.
Ms Claudia Pohl
Non-Executive Director
Ms Pohl is a civil industrial engineer who accumulated over 23 years’ senior executive experience at Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM) a world leader in the lithium industry. Since leaving SQM, Claudia has been Managing Partner and General Manager of Chilean based Ad-Infinitum, a process engineering consultancy, with specific focus on lithium brine projects under study and development, and the associated project evaluations.
Management
Mr Juan Carlos Barerra
Project and Board Consultant
Mr Barerra has over 33 years broad mining experience in Chile, Argentina and Australia incl 28 years working for SQM and two for Exxon. Has also been the due diligence team leader for two successful lithium project acquisitions.
Ross Dinsdale
Chief Financial Officer
Ross has 18 years’ extensive experience across capital markets, equity research, investment banking and executive roles in the natural resources sector. He has held positions with Goldman Sachs, Azure Capital and more recently he acted as CFO for Mallee Resources Limited. He is a CFA charter holder, has a Bachelor of Commerce and holds a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance.
Mr Alvaro Henriquez
Geology Manager
Mr Henríquez is a Chilean based hydrogeologist with over 20 years’ applied geology and hydrogeology experience in the mining industry. He has led many exploration and production operations across Chile, Argentina, Australia and the United States. His experience includes 11 years at SQM, where he served as the Hydrogeology Superintendent. He was responsible for the operational management of the Salar de Atacama lithium and potash brine reservoir evolution forecast for supporting short, medium and long-term mining plans. Alvaro was also responsible for the design, execution, and supervision of hydrogeological exploration campaigns, as well as the conceptual and numerical hydrogeological modelling. During his recent time as a consultant with WSP/Golder Chile, he led the water services group and managed a technical team of nearly 100 professionals and technicians and was significantly involved in supporting the exploration plan and resource evaluation at Galan’s flagship Hombre Muerto West Lithium Project in Argentina.
Álvaro is a Registered Competent Person in Mining Resources and Reserves evaluation at Comisión Calificadora de Competencias en Recursos y Reservas Mineras de Chile (part of CRIRSCO) and has previously signed off as the Competent Person on SQM technical reports.
Mr Mike Robbins
Company Secretary
Mike has over 25 years’ resource industry experience gathered at operational and corporate levels, both within Australia and overseas. During that time, he has held numerous project and head office management positions and is currently Company Secretary for another ASX listed entity.
Mr Boris Caro
Study Advisor
Mr Boris Caro was appointed as Study Advisor to oversee the Company’s team and advise on strategy and study development activities into the Pre-Feasibility and Definitive Feasibility Studies for both of Galan’s lithium brine projects in Argentina. Mr. Caro is a mining engineer (MAusIMM) with a Master in Mineral Economics obtained from the Curtin University of Technology (Western Australia). Boris has over 20 years of experience in the mineral industry working in several countries including Australia. Most recently he was the Study/Project Manager for Orocobre Ltd working on the Olaroz Expansion Lithium Project in Argentina (May 2017 to April 2019). During this time he was responsible for the completion of the Feasibility Study, leading front-end engineering, securing environmental permits and overseeing the commencement of construction activities.
Galan Exploraciones S.A. and Galan Litio S.A.
Juan Pablo (‘JP’) Vargas de la Vega
Managing Director
JP is a Chilean/Australian mineral industry professional with 20 years broad experience in ASX mining companies, stockbroking and private equity firms JP has been a specialist lithium analyst in Australia, has also operated a private copper business as in Chile and has also worked for BHP, Rio Tinto and Codelco.
Mr Carlos Saravia Frias
Director and Legal Advisor
Dr Carlos Saravia Frías is Galan’s Argentinian based lawyer who graduated from the Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (Argentina) in 1992. In 1997 he obtained the Rio Tinto // Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) scholarship and obtained his Master’s Degree in Law (LL.M.) at the Center for Energy, Mineral Law and Policy from the University of Dundee (Scotland) in 1998.
Throughout his extensive career in mining, Dr. Saravia Frias has written several articles for national and foreign publications, and participated in numerous seminars and workshops both in Argentina, Australia, Scotland and the United States.
Between 1999 and 2002 he was director of the Assistance Program for the Argentine Mining Sector, PASMA – World Bank, General Coordinator of the Mining Area of the Nation, Undersecretary of Energy and Mining of the Nation and representative before the Executive Committee for the Application of the Mining Treaty with Chile.
He has more than 20 years of experience in advising the mining sector. He participated as a lawyer in several mining and hydrocarbon transactions in the country, was vice president of GEMERA (Group of Mining Exploration Companies), he is a member of CAEM (Chamber of Mining Entrepreneurs). He is currently a member of the board of several mining companies of Canadian, Australian and Chinese origin and speaks Spanish and English.
Paulina de Abelleyra
Accountant
Paulina de Abelleyra is a Certified Public Accountant and is Galan’s Argentinian based accountant and financial advisor. Paulina has more than 20 years’ experience with national and international companies (including Thomson Reuters) and speaks Spanish, Portuguese and English.