Board of Directors
Dr. Larry Seeley
Executive Chairman
Dr. Seeley was with Falconbridge 25 years in roles of Manager of Research, Development and Engineering, Manager Falconbridge Smelter, Director of Sudbury Metallurgical Operations, Vice President of Environment and Officer of Falconbridge. Larry was President, CEO and principal shareholder of Lakefield Research Limited for 12 years growing the company from 120 employees to about 1,000 employees with expansion in services and internationally. He was founder and CEO of Recapture Metals Limited for 5 years becoming the major producer of gallium outside of China. Dr. Larry Seeley received Gold Medal Engineers Canada, President’s Gold Medal of Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, Gold Medal as well as Entrepreneurship award of the Professional Engineers Ontario, Airey Award and Silver Medal of the Canadian Metallurgical Society, Engineer’s Medal University of Toronto, inducted into the Engineering Hall of Distinction University of Toronto, Industrial Practice Award of the Canadian Society of Chemical Engineering, International Award of Chemical Industry, Honoree Life Member of Science North, Governor Emeritus Trent University as well served as president of the Canadian Metallurgical Society and also as President of the Canadian Society of Chemical Engineering.
He has a BASc, MASc and PHD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto and a Diploma in Business Administration from Laurentian University. He is a Fellow Engineers Canada, Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, Fellow Engineers Institute of Canada, Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering and is a Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.
Jonathan Challis
Director and Chair of Pasinex AS
Jonathan Challis is a mining engineer with over 50 years experience in the operation, management, financing and analysis of mining projects around the world. Mr Challis has an honours degree in Mineral Exploitation from University College, Cardiff and an MBA degree from Cranfield School of Management. He has both the South African Metalliferous Mine Captain’s and Mine Manager’s Certificates of Competency. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Materials, Minerals and Mining and a Chartered Engineer.
Mr Challis started his professional life as a Mining Engineer with Gold Fields of South Africa Limited in 1974 before returning to Europe where he worked in the financial sector as both a mining analyst and as an investment banker in London, Paris and Toronto. He worked with James Capel & Co; Banque de la Societe Financiere Europeenne (BSFE), Barclays Bank Ltd., McLeod Young and Weir and C.M. Oliver where he was involved in the analysis of mining companies and the structuring of debt packages for various mining and energy projects around the world. In 1997, he joined Ivanhoe Capital Corporation and was involved in numerous early stage exploration ventures in diverse locations.
He was formerly a Director of Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. (TSX – operating in Canada): Peregrine Metals Ltd (TSX-V a metals exploration company operating in Argentina); Chairman of Rye Patch Gold (TSX-V involved in gold exploration in Nevada) and is currently a Director of Pasinex Resources (a zinc exploration and producer in Turkey); District Metals Corp. (metals and energy metals exploration in Sweden) and Alerio Gold Corp. (gold exploration in Guyana).
Joachim Rainer
Board Member
Mr. Rainer is a businessman and founder of Rainer Beteiligungsgesellschaf GmbH, and as Managing Director, he sources projects, structures companies and investments, and develops the businesses for new upcoming and innovative companies. Prior to founding his company in 2002, he was in hotel management and worked in an Austrian bank, where he supported people and companies to trade raw materials and shares. He holds a CEFA (Certified European Financial Analyst) degree. Since 2005, Mr. Rainer developed a network of business connections within Europe and Türkiye.
Ian D. Atacan
Director, Corporate Secretary and CFO
Mr. Atacan is an accomplished finance leader with over 25 years of experience in public companies, specializing in corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and financing. Mr. Atacan is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) and holds an MBA from London, UK. He also brings a strong technical foundation as an Electrical and Electronics Engineer, having earned his B.Sc. from Bilkent University. His diverse background and proven track record make him a highly regarded figure in the financial leadership landscape. His extensive career spans both Europe and Canada, where he has held roles in globally recognized organizations, including Sprint, Alcatel, DHL Worldwide Express, and Procter & Gamble. For the past 14 years, Mr. Atacan has served as Director, Corporate Secretary and CFO for publicly listed companies, demonstrating his expertise in managing complex financial operations and strategic initiatives. His portfolio includes leadership roles at Panda Hub Inc., PharmaCielo Ltd., Blueberries Medical Corp. and Natura Naturals Inc., a Canadian cannabis company, where he played a pivotal role in its acquisition by Tilray Inc. Notably, Mr. Atacan was the CFO of Global Atomic Corporation (formerly Silvermet Inc.), a uranium mining and zinc recycling company with operations in Niger and Türkiye, from 2010 to 2018.