PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Copper miner Sandfire Resources has appointed Sally Martin and Rob Edwards as independent nonexecutive directors, effective immediately.

The ASX-listed company on Friday said that the new board appointments continued the company’s board succession process, which was started in 2020, to ensure the right balance of skills, experience and diversity to effectively oversee the company’s growth aspirations.

Martin is an electrical engineer who has held various senior roles at Royal Dutch Shell over the last 34 years. She is currently a nonexecutive director of London-listed Porvair.

Edwards, who is based in the UK, is a mining engineer with 30 years of experience in the resources industry, primarily in frontier and emerging markets. He is currently advising a number of companies and investors on selected financing, offtake and corporate opportunities within the mining, metals and agriculture sectors. In addition, he is a director of Aim-listed Chaarat Gold Holdings, which owns the Kapan operating mine in Armenia as well as the Tulkubash and the Kyzyltash gold projects in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Edwards will chair Sandfire’s risk and sustainability committee, be a member of the audit and finance committee and join the boards of Sandfire’s UK-based subsidiaries.

Meanwhile, Sandfire on Friday also reported the retirement of nonexecutive director and former chairperson Derek La Ferla, effective immediately.

La Ferla in 2021 advised his intention to retire from the board after serving for over 12 years, and leading the board during Sandfire’s growth from junior explorer to operations at its DeGrussa project, in Western Australia.

Additionally, Sandfire’s previous head of exploration, Richard Holmes, has now been promoted to executive for growth, meaning he will oversee the overall strategic oversight and management of the company’s global business development opportunities and organic exploration programmes.

Scott Browne has also been appointed as executive for people and performance, with a focus on continuing to drive and enhance Sandfire’s culture and the engagement and high performance of its employees and contractors.