
Chairman
Louis Gignac
Eng., M.Sc., D.Eng., ICD.D.

After undergraduate and graduate studies resulting in a Doctorate in Engineering (D. Eng.) from the University of Missouri-Rolla, Mr. Louis Gignac has been involved, during his professional career, in the development and operations of some 20 mines throughout the Americas and West Africa. For 20 years, he served as President and CEO of Cambior Inc., a mid-size public mining company listed both in Canada and the USA and was involved in many M&A transactions and financings in addition to project development and operations management.
He served as director on the board of many public companies (Canada, USA and Australia) over the last 25 years; he is currently director of Franco Nevada, a TSX/NYSE listed company. He is also a member of the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) and has more than 50 years of experience in the mining industry. He is a member of the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) and of the Canadian Institute of Mining. Mr. Gignac was inducted in the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame in 2016. Mr. Gignac is proficient in English and French.

President
Mathieu Gignac
P. Eng.

Mr. Mathieu Gignac has more than 20 years of experience in the mining industry and is a McGill University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering. His responsibilities include providing project management expertise and leadership to Mine Development Projects. He has proven leadership abilities in managing large mining projects through feasibility, construction and operations. He was Project Director of the highly successful Merian Project which is owned by Newmont Mining also Project Director of the Fruta del Norte Project in cooperation with Lundin Gold. He is a member of the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Quebec (OIQ) and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum. Mr. Gignac is proficient in English, French and Spanish.

Vice President, Finance
Michael Gignac
CPA-CA

Mr. Michael Gignac has been the financial leader of the company since its inception. He was previously VP Controller and became VP Finance in January 2020. He is a McGill University graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with a major in Accounting and a minor in Finance, and has a Graduate Diploma in Public Accountancy. His responsibilities include all financial matters inherent to the firm: financial and management reporting, internal controls, finance, tax, IT, payroll and remuneration. He is also responsible for accounting and financial deliverables on certain mandates of the firm. He has played important roles in setting up ERPs, reporting and control procedures at different mines and projects in North and South America (Canadian Malartic Mine, Merian Project, Fruta del Norte Project). Mr. Gignac is a member of the Ordre des comptables professionels agréés du Québec (CPA). Mr. Gignac is proficient in English and French.

Vice President, Construction and Engineering
Joël Lacelle
P. Eng.

Mr. Lacelle has more than 30 years of experience in industrial construction. Professional Electrical Engineer, he managed multi trade projects for contractors, engineering firms and owners.
Joël was involved into major mining projects with Cambior, Agnico Eagle, Detour Gold, Stornoway and more, in different locations in Canada, Latin America, Spain, and Australia. He is familiar with gold, copper and diamond mine processes. Mr. Lacelle also performed management in the oil and gas industry achieving projects in the Alberta tar sands for Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) and Imperial Oil. His responsibilities include construction and engineering management.
He is a member of the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ), the Professional engineers of Ontario (PEO) and registered in Ecuador (SENESCYT). Mr. Lacelle is proficient in English, French, and Spanish.

Vice President, Mining ENGINEERING
Carl Michaud
P.ENG.

Mr. Michaud has over 20 years of experience in mining engineering and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mining engineering from Université Laval and an MBA from UQAC. His expertise covers short and mid-term planning, drilling and blasting. He has held managerial positions and has proven experience in supervising, managing, scheduling, controlling cost, designing, budgeting and overseeing underground mining operations.
Mr. Michaud has an outstanding knowledge of the engineering software such as AutoCAD, Promine, Studio 5DP, CAE-DATAMINE, Studio 3, Lotus Note, Examine, Phases, Surpac, Minesched, EPS planning. He is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (O.I.Q). Mr. Michaud is proficient in English and in French.

VICE PRESIDENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Javier José Masmela
P. Eng.

Mr. Javier José Masmela has over 20 years of experience in designing and project management in the mining and petrochemical industries. Mr. Masmela has a master’s degree in project management from the Université du Québec à Montréal along with a mechanical engineering degree from the Universidad de America from Bogotá in Columbia. His responsibilities include project planning and management, cost control and contract schedules, contract negotiations and procurement activities, management of multidisciplinary work teams, implementation, commissioning and start-up of plants, piping and mechanical design, stress analysis, preliminary and detailed engineering, quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) as well as training activities. He is a member of the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) registered in Ecuador (SENESCYT). Mr. Masmela is proficient in English, French and Spanish.

Logistics Manager
Jean-Louis Folio

Mr. Jean-Louis Folio has more than 30 years of experience in logistics and international transport services and 18 years of experience in industrial settings, more particularly in project management. Mr. Folio is a graduate of the Institut Universitaire de technologies de Lyon. He has extensive experience in all aspects of logistics: customs agent, port handling, ship consignment, platform management, multimodal transport, air cargo management, airport operations management, road transportation and marine surveyor; and this in various regions: Indian Ocean (Madagascar / Reunion / Mauritius), France (Le Havre / Rouen Roissy) French Guyana, Suriname, Africa (Burkina Faso / Côte d’Ivoire / Ghana / Togo) and Quebec (Nunavik).Mr. Folio is proficient in English and French.