Board
Chairman - Mr Barry Eldridge, BSc (Geology), BE (Mining)
Mr Eldridge has over 37 years experience as a geologist and mining engineer in the resource industry both in Australia and overseas.Following a 20 year career in the coal industry in Queensland and New South Wales, Mr Eldridge moved to Western Australia in 1988 where he has been involved in a number of management roles in the mining industry. Most notable of these have been Project Manager for the Super Pit in Kalgoorlie, Project Manager for the development of Kanowna Belle gold mine, Managing Director of Forrestania Gold NL, Project Director for the West Angelas iron ore development, Director - Major Projects for North Ltd, Managing Director of Griffin Coal Pty Ltd, Managing Director, CEO of Portman Ltd and, most recently, Chairman of SNC-Lavalin Australia Pty Ltd.
Barry is also a director of the largest iron ore company in North America, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.
Managing Director - Dr Alistair Cowden, BSc (Hons) (Geology), PhD (Geology), MAusIMM, MAIG
Dr Cowden has over 25 years experience as a geologist and mining company executive in Australia, Africa, Europe and New Zealand.Alistair was instrumental in the listing of five successful ASX listed companies including Vulcan Resources Limited, Rox Resources Limited, Australis Aquaculture Limited, Archaean Gold NL and Magnetic Minerals Limited.
He has been involved with major projects and discoveries such as Nimbus silver-zinc, Sunrise Dam gold mine, Kanowna Belle gold mine, Dongara mineral sands deposit, Syerston nickel-cobalt laterite deposit, Hartley platinum mine and Kambalda nickel mines.
Dr Cowden has a BSc (Hons), Geology from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD in Geology from the University of London.
Non-Executive Director - Mr Heikki Solin, Master of Laws, Helsinki
Mr Solin acts as non-executive Chairman of Vulcan’s Finnish subsidiary companies, Kylylahti Copper Oy and Kuhmo Metals Oy.Mr Solin has more than 40 years experience in the international mining industry which he has served as a corporate lawyer, marketing manager for technology, senior vice president in charge of international mining expansion for Finland’s mining major Outokumpu, and the last twelve years as an independent consultant.
Except for a period of 14 years in United Kingdom Heikki has been based in Helsinki, Finland, his native country where in addition to his mining related activities he spearheaded national initiatives in areas of cross-border licensing, international contract practices and Finnish-Latin American trade relations.
Non-Executive Director - Mr Michael Blakiston, BJuris LLB
Mr Blakiston is a practicing solicitor with legal experience in the resources sector. Michael holds the degrees of Bachelor of Jurisprudence and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia and is a partner of the corporate and resource law firm, Blakiston & Crabb. Mr Blakiston has been practicing law for over 25 years.Michael is a director of Platinum Australia Ltd, Axiom Properties Limited, Rox Resources Limited and Aurora Oil & Gas Limited.
Michael has extensive commercial experience both in advisory and directorial capacities.
Non-Executive Director - Ms Fiona Harris, Bcom, FCA, FAICD
Ms Harris has been a professional non-executive director for the past 12 years. She began her career with chartered accountants KPMG and was a partner in their Sydney office when she left that organisation in December 1994. During her 14 years with KPMG, Fiona worked in Perth, San Francisco and Sydney specialising in financial services and superannuation. She was also involved in capital raisings, due diligence, flotations, capital structuring of transactions and litigation support.Fiona is Western Australian State President of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has been a member of their national board since November 2005. She is non-executive Chairman of Barrington Consulting Group Pty Ltd, a company providing consulting services in the areas of strategic and business planning.
Fiona is also currently a Board Member of Heytesbury Pty Ltd, Perron Group Ltd (& PG Holdings Ltd) and WASO Holdings Ltd, and has previously been a director on the boards of many listed and unlisted companies including Alinta Ltd, Portman Ltd and Burswood Ltd.