Aim- and TSX-listed Horizonte Minerals has appointed two new directors as the first phase of the board’s evolution to “better reflect its new shareholder register and the skillset required to deliver two tier-one nickel projects", the company announced on Thursday.

The nickel developer appointed Gillian Davidson as an independent nonexecutive director and Vincent Benoit as a nonexecutive director with immediate effect.

Davidson, an industry leader in sustainability, has more than 25 years of experience in the extractives and natural resources sectors. She is an independent sustainability adviser and currently serves as a nonexecutive director on the boards of Aim-quoted Central Asia Metals and TSX-listed Lundin Gold and New Gold. Davidson is a founding member and Chair of the Global Battery Alliance, an initiative created to drive a sustainable battery value chain.

Benoit has more than 30 years of corporate finance, business development and mergers and acquisition experience in the mining, telecom, and energy sectors. He identified the opportunity to buy La Mancha and joined the company as head of strategy and business development in 2012, before leading La Mancha's portfolio restructuring and contributing to the enhancement of its mines performance in Australia and Africa, then identifying and executing the combinations with Evolution and Endeavour, which positioned La Mancha as a leading private investor in the gold mining sector. From 2016 to 2019, Benoit was CFO and executive VP corporate development at Endeavour, where he reshaped the strategy, improved the mine portfolio quality, and enhanced the balance sheet to fund organic growth.

"We are delighted to welcome two industry leaders to the Board of Horizonte. Gillian and Vincent both bring new expertise to the Horizonte senior team, particularly in the areas of sustainability, corporate finance and project oversight. Their experience will be invaluable in helping the Company achieve its objective of becoming the next major, low-cost, sustainable nickel producer, through the development of Araguaia and Vermelho,” commented Horizonte CEO Jeremy Martin.