VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Cobalt project developer Fortune Minerals has appointed mining veteran Glen Koropchuk to its board.
Koropchuk, with more than 30 years of mining experience, most recently served as COO of Anglo American affiliate De Beers Canada and was responsible for operations at the Snap Lake and Victor diamond mines, in Canada's north.
He also led the permitting, Aboriginal engagement and project management for the $1-billion Gahcho Kué diamond mine, in the Northwest Territories, which was recently commissioned on time, reflecting a skill set that is particularly relevant to Fortune as it advances the vertically integrated Nico gold/cobalt/bismuth/copper project toward construction, the company advised.
Fortune has been focused on strengthening its senior management team so far this year, recently appointing fellow mining veteran David Massola as CFO and VP of financing, and earlier this year appointing former Minister of the Northwest Territories government David Ramsay to the company's board.
The Nico project is well positioned to become a reliable, vertically integrated North American source of battery-grade cobalt chemicals, with supply chain custody transparency and tax advantages under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Earlier this year, the company delivered an ultrapure cobalt sulphate sample for testing by a potential customer. Discussions for offtake agreements and project financing were ongoing.