ECR Minerals plc (AIM: ECR) Appointment of Chris Gibbs as a Proposed Director

ECR Minerals plc (AIM: ECR), the gold exploration and development company focused on Australia, is pleased to announce the proposed appointment of Chris Gibbs as a non-executive director to the board of directors of ECR (the “Board”).  Pending his appointment and the conclusion of the necessary regulatory approvals, Chris has been engaged as a consultant to the Company with immediate effect to assist in the development of its projects, specifically Blue Mountain and Lolworth. 

HIGHLIGHTS

· Former CEO of ASX listed American Rare Earths, when it advanced its 2.63 billion tonne Halleck Creek rare earth project and substantially grew its market capitalisation.

· As a former Vice President and General Manager at Argonaut Gold, Chris oversaw the development of the Magino Gold Project in Canada, now a significant producer within Alamos Gold.

· Held executive roles at large international mining companies, including Centerra Gold and Barrick Gold.·      Capital markets experience, including cornerstone investment for American Rare Earths from Fidelity International

BACKGROUND

Chris brings over 25 years of international mining executive experience, spanning North America, Australia, Europe, Africa and South America. His career includes executive positions with a number of large international mining companies. At American Rare Earths, he was instrumental in its transformation into a development-ready US rare earths company, which substantially increased its market value.

At Argonaut Gold, he oversaw the Magino Gold Project from feasibility through to construction and operations readiness. Earlier roles with Centerra Gold, Barrick Gold and Placer Dome involved large-scale mine development, operational turnarounds and cost transformation initiatives across multiple jurisdictions. 

Chris also serves as a Non-Executive Director of ASX-listed Godolphin Resources Limited and is a Director of the Critical Minerals Institute. He resides in Queensland, Australia, the state in which ECR’s core Blue Mountain and Lolworth Projects are located. 

As part of his engagement, Chris has elected to take half of his remuneration in ECR ordinary shares, joining the rest of the Board in being partly remunerated through equity and aligning their interests closely with those of ECR shareholders. 

ECR Chairman Nick Tulloch commented: “We are delighted to welcome Chris Gibbs to ECR as we advance our Australian gold projects towards production. His experience at large mining companies, developing multi-million-dollar mining projects speaks for itself and I have no doubt that his skillset will be a significant asset to the Company. Chris’s expertise in project execution and his knowledge of capital markets will strengthen our team at a pivotal stage in ECR’s development. 

“Investors will have observed several changes at ECR in the past two months.  As we prepare to graduate from exploration to potential production, through Mike Parker and now Chris Gibbs, we are assembling a team not only with a background in project development but also with prior experience in scaling mining businesses.  As we look forward to an exciting period for ECR, we will provide regular updates on our progress.” 

Mr. Gibbs’ appointment to the Board is subject to approval from the Company’s Nominated Adviser after the customary director due diligence process to satisfy itself as to Board composition and independence and the suitability of a potential director for the purposes of the AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers.

A further announcement, including the requisite Schedule 2(g) disclosures required under the AIM Rules for Companies, will be made in due course upon Chris Gibbs’ appointment to the Board. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: