TSX-V-listed Northern Graphite, which owns the Lac des Iles (LDI) mine in Quebec, has announced two senior management appointments, which the company says enhances its global team to execute on its goal of becoming the third biggest graphite producer outside China.

Northern Graphite has appointed Sam Januarie as VP human resources (HR) and Serge Théberge as VP projects.

Januarie, a Namibian citizen based in Windhoek, is a senior HR professional with 27 years of industry experience working with multinational companies such Imerys Graphite & Carbon, where he was the global HR manager, learning and development, as well as the HR director for Imerys Refractories in South Africa. He has also held the role of senior HR manager with Dundee Precious Metals and Orano and was the manager of support services with Trigon Metals.

Théberge is a senior executive with an extensive background in project management, engineering, construction and operations with more than 35 years of international, multicultural experience. He has directed and mentored successful projects in West Africa, UAE, South America and the Caribbean, from engineering studies through execution, commissioning, and start-up.

During his career Théberge has held various executive management positions with engineering and mining companies such as SNC Lavalin, Bechtel, Iamgold, CBG (Compagnie de Bauxite de Guinée), Guyana Goldfields, and Lundin Gold where he was site manager for the Fruta Del Norte project, in Ecuador.

Théberge is a Canadian citizen based in Montréal.

Northern is the only significant graphite producing company in North America and will become the third biggest outside of China when its Namibian operations come back on line in the first half of 2023.

The company also has two large scale development projects, Bissett Creek in Ontario and Okanjande in Namibia, that will be a source of continued production growth in the future.