Management

EXECUTIVE TEAM AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Graphite One Inc. is led by a team of individuals who have achieved outstanding results in their careers. Their combined knowledge and experience demonstrates proven business strategies as well as expertise in exploring, developing and operating mining properties - including:

  • Extensive experience in mineral exploration, development and production
  • Strong corporate backgrounds
  • Managed major exploration, development and operating programs with significant budgets
  • Collectively financed over $250 million for various resource companies

 

 

Doug Smith
Executive Chairman + Director, Chair Audit Committee

Mr. Smith has over 35 years of experience in the international coal industry as a senior executive and corporate director.  He was General Manager of Xstrata Coal Canada from mid-2011 to mid-2013, a role assumed following Xstrata Coal's purchase of First Coal Corporation in 2011.  Mr. Smith had been President, CEO and Director of First Coal since May 2007 where he raised over $50 million in equity and directed its sale to Xstrata.  For the preceding twelve years, Mr. Smith was President and Director of Andalex Resources Inc., a private U.S. coal company until he successfully directed its sale in 2006.

Mr. Smith holds B.Sc. degrees in both Electrical Engineering and Biology from the University of Alberta.  He has completed the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and has earned the ICD.D certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors.  He is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta and numerous professional organizations.

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Anthony Huston
President and CEO + Director

Mr. Huston is a successful entrepreneur with a background in tech sector business development and finance, who has played an integral role in raising more than $100 million in his career.  Having served as Managing Partner in both public and private companies, he has advised on financial and acquisition transactions in industries ranging from the resource sector and real estate development to bio-technology and information technology.  In his C-level engagements Mr. Huston has demonstrated an ability to translate business objectives into integrated and cost-effective technology strategies, providing a clear vision to drive business growth combined with a passion for helping to develop strategic plans with his management team(s).  Mr. Huston holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of British Columbia. 

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W. Alan Ahlgren, CPA, CA
Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary

Mr. Ahlgren is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant and has extensive experience having served as CFO and Corporate Secretary with AQM Copper Inc. and previously with First Coal Corporation, until its purchase by Xstrata Coal Canada.  Recently, Mr. Ahlgren has been assisting in the restructuring of a company with operations in Argentina and with a mining company in transition following a purchase of a mine in the United States.  Prior to First Coal, Mr. Ahlgren served as Vice President Finance with Kinross Gold Corporation.  Mr. Ahlgren is a graduate of the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) in Accounting and Finance.

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Stan Foo
Chief Operating Officer and Director, Graphite One (Alaska) Inc.

Mr. Foo has more than 35 years of experience in the mining sector, including 21 years in Alaska.  He has served as President and General Manager for Donlin Gold LLC, General Manager for Alaska Gold Torrent, Chief Geologist and General Superintendent for Cortez Gold Mines (Nevada) and Project Manager roles with Placer Dome and Barrick Gold Corporation. He also served as Mining Section Chief at the Alaska Department of Natural Resources and is widely respected for his ability to build durable working relationships with state and federal regulatory agencies and Alaska Native stakeholders.

Mr. Foo is active in Alaska trade organizations and advisory groups including Alaska Miners Association, Resource Development Council for Alaska and BLM Alaska Resource Advisory Council. He also serves on the board of the Iditarod Trail Committee, which organizes and oversees the Iditarod Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome annually.  Mr. Foo holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Geology from Hamilton College.

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Brian Budd
Director, Member of Compensation Committee, Member of Audit Committee

Mr. Budd has an extensive management and corporate development background with over 25 years of entrepreneurial and sales leadership experience in the resource and high-tech industries.  His business acumen includes the development and execution of comprehensive business and financing plans, corporate communication programs as well as strategic planning for both the domestic and international markets.  Mr. Budd has held the position of President & Chief Executive Officer and/or Director for several public companies since 2010.

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Patrick Smith
Director, Chair of Compensation Committee, Member of Audit Committee

Mr. Smith is a senior mining executive with 40 years of executive management experience in the international mineral exploration and mining industry.  He presently is a Director of Great American Minerals Exploration Inc., a private company with gold properties in Alaska in the exploration and development phase.  Mr. Smith was President and CEO of Heatherdale Resources Ltd. which has an advanced stage Niblack polymetallic deposit in Alaska.  Prior to this, Mr. Smith enjoyed a career with Rio Tinto plc spanning 32 years in numerous senior management positions and culminating as Managing Director of Exploration, Australasia Region based in Perth, Australia.  Mr. Smith also held the role of Exploration Executive reporting to the Head of Exploration for Rio Tinto based in London.  Mr. Smith has been involved with globally diverse exploration and development projects spanning many commodities including gold, copper, molybdenum, iron ore, diamonds, industrial minerals, and metallurgical coal.  His experience managing exploration programs in Alaska spans 20 years.

Mr. Smith is the founding member of Rockford Resources LLC, a private minerals consulting company.  Mr. Smith received his Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Washington University and has attended Business and Strategic Leadership courses at Duke University and London School of Business. Mr. Smith is a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists, member of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, and Alaska Miners Association.  He holds Professional Geologist licenses in Utah, Wyoming, and Washington.

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ADVISORY BOARD

 

Robert Cross

Mr. Cross has more than 20 years of experience as a financier in the mining and oil & gas sectors.  He is the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of B2Gold Corp. In 2002, he was Chairman of EAGC Ventures, which purchased a 120,000 ounce per year South African gold mining operation.  The company was subsequently sold to Bema Gold Corporation of which he was also a director. Bema Gold Corporation was sold to Kinross Gold in 2007 for $3.3 Billion.  He was co-founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Bankers Petroleum Ltd., a Director of BNK Petroleum, co-founder and Chairman of Petrodorado Energy Ltd., and until October 2007, was the Non-Executive Chairman of Northern Orion Resources Inc.  Between 1996 and 1998, Mr. Cross was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yorkton Securities Inc., and from 1987-1994 he was a Partner, Investment Banking of Gordon Capital Corporation in Toronto.  Mr. Cross has an Engineering Degree from the University of Waterloo and received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1987.

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Daniel McGroarty

Mr. McGroarty is a principal of Carmot Strategic Group, an issues management firm in Washington, D.C.  Mr. McGroarty has served in senior positions in the U.S. Government, as a special assistant at the White House and with the Department of Defense.  He is experienced in advising corporations on issues of management, public policy and communications.  As a strategic and critical materials subject-matter expert, he has testified before both U.S. Senate and House committees on energy and natural resources, and he consults to the Institute for Defense Analyses, which supports the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, the Joint Chiefs’ Joint Staff and the Intelligence Community.   Mr. McGroarty has a master’s degree from Boston College.

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John Robins

Mr. Robins, a professional geologist based in Vancouver, British Columbia, has over 25 years of experience as an independent exploration geologist and entrepreneur.  A graduate of the University of British Columbia (BSc Geology, 1984), Mr. Robins initially worked as a self-employed prospector and geologist in BC and Northern Canada.  In 1988, he founded Hunter Exploration Group, one of Canada's most successful private exploration companies.  Mr. Robins has also been active in starting several successful public exploration and development companies including his co-founding of the Discovery Group of Companies in 2005; and, most recently, the Aurora Resource Group.  In addition to his role with the Aurora Resource Group, Mr. Robins sits on the boards of several successful publicly traded exploration companies.

His experience from grass roots exploration to production is complemented by his success in project funding and capital markets.   In 2008, the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia recognized his achievements in mining exploration by awarding Mr. Robins the H.H. "Spud" Huestis Award, the industry’s highest award in the field of mineral exploration.

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Ronald Sheardown

Mr. Sheardown is the President of Greatland Exploration, Ltd. and has been involved in mineral exploration in Canada, USA, Greenland, Russia and Africa for over 50 years. Mr. Sheardown is recognized as the co-discoverer (with Murray Watts) of the Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation’s Mary River Deposit and he was part of the team that discovered the Asbestos Hill and Raglan Nickel deposits in Quebec and the Black Angle Mine in Greenland.  More recently he has served as a technical advisor to Rudnik Matrosova on the development of the Natalka deposit in the Russian Far Eastern District.  For much of his career, Mr. Sheardown has been involved in exploration on the Seward Peninsula of Alaska and particularly with the Lost River Fluorspar-Tin-Tungsten deposits. Mr. Sheardown has also held several important positions with the State of Alaska, U.S. government and Canadian government as well as with various mining related organizations. He is a highly experienced pilot, operating both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. He has served two terms as President of the Alaska Miners Association, is a member of the US Export Council and was the Honorary Consul in Alaska to Canada from 1989 to 2004. Mr. Sheardown’s experience in Alaska and on major projects around the world is a significant asset to the Company.

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Jerry Birch and Kevin Greenfield

Jerry Birch and Kevin Greenfield are co-owners of Taiga Mining Corporation - a respected, successful Alaskan placer mining company they founded in 1990 after working for a decade in a variety of roles in the Alaskan mining industry. Jerry and Kevin bring proven experience in developing, permitting and operating a successful mining operation in the interior of Alaska. Taiga has received numerous industry awards including: State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources Reclamation Award (2004), Bureau of Land Management’s Mineral Environmental Award (2012) and Alaska Miners Association Corporate Member of the Year (2017).

Jerry Birch was raised in Minnesota and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from the University of Minnesota. Throughout his career, he has been involved in all the technical and business aspects of developing and operating a successful mining operation. He has also been active in the Alaska mining industry having served the Alaska Miners Association in numerous positions (including Association president). Jerry is currently serving in his second term on the state’s Alaska Mineral Commission and is a member of the BLM’s Alaska Resource Advisory Council’s Placer Mining Subcommittee. He is a certified pilot and active outdoorsman. Jerry and his family reside in Anchorage.

Kevin Greenfield is also originally from Minnesota. Kevin began his career in mining as a mechanic and welder and quickly worked his way up to co-managing a mine prior to founding Taiga. He has also been involved in all the technical and business aspects of developing and operating a successful mining operation. Kevin has been active in the Alaska Miners Association and currently serves on its State and Federal Oversight Committees. Kevin and his family reside in Anchorage, and he is a certified pilot and active outdoorsman.

Jerry and Kevin have diversified their business experiences in Alaska. They jointly own TLC Properties, LLC, a commercial property company in Anchorage. Kevin is co-owner of ROTAK Helicopter Services, LLC, which specializes in complex aerial lift support, maintenance, construction, and aviation management.

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TECHNICAL CONSULTANTS

 

TRU Group Inc. (“TRU”)

TRU is an engineering firm focused on niche technology-intensive industries, which includes the graphite-graphene sector. Its specialized Graphite-Graphene Team employs globally recognized technical leaders with long standing careers in graphite as well as state-of-the-art highly qualified engineer-scientists in graphite. TRU accesses a graphite-dedicated laboratory for its work.

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