JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – TSX- and Aim-listed Kirkland Lake Gold, an operating and exploration gold company with operations in Ontario, Canada, on Monday announced proposed changes to the company's board of directors.

Barry Cooper, Jeffrey Parr and Barry Olson would be nominated by management for election by the shareholders of the company at the upcoming annual general meeting (AGM) scheduled for October 22. 

Three of Kirkland Lake’s current directors, Brian Bayley, Trevor Gabriel and Claude Lemasson, would not be standing for re-election.

“Bayley has provided more than 16 years of strong guidance as an independent director and his contributions and wide-ranging knowledge have significantly contributed to the growth of the company,” said Kirkland Lake, adding that Gabriel had added tremendous value over the last six years in his role as an independent director and chair of the audit committee.

Lemasson joined the board in October 2013 as an independent director and the company felt it had “profited greatly from his experience and thoughtful contributions over the last year”. 

Kirkland Lake chairperson Harry Dobson said: "I have truly enjoyed working with Brian, Trevor and Claude. They have all made considerable contributions to the development of the company and the support they have provided, particularly over the last five years, has been very significant. I wish them every success in their future endeavours.

“The company has reached some key milestones so far in this financial year and I am looking forward to working with our new directors in the development of the business." 

Cooper retired from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) as the number-one ranked gold analyst in the Brendon Wood survey covering the precious metals sector across North America.

Prior to joining CIBC in 1996, he was employed by Cameco, the world's largest producer of uranium.

Parr, a chartered professional accountant, received his Master of Business Administration degree from McMaster University in 1982 and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Western Ontario in 1979. He has over 28 years of experience in the mining and service provider industries.

Olson has over 25 years' experience in strategic management and leadership in engineering, construction, start-up and operations of gold mining companies, including Amax Gold where he spent ten years from 1988 to 1998. More recently, at Goldcorp he moved from VP to senior VP in project development from August 2006 to October 2013. He has successfully managed multibillion-dollar international projects with operations in Nevada, California, Mexico, Chile and Argentina.

A further announcement in respect of the proposed appointments would be made following the conclusion of the AGM.