Corporate
Board & Management
Board
Richard Crookes
Chairman
B Sc (Geology), Grad Dip (Applied Finance)
Mr Crookes has over 35 years of executive experience in the resources and finance industries. A geologist by training, he worked in several operational roles including Chief Geologist and Mining Manager at Ernest Henry Mining in Australia.
In addition to his role at Black Rock Mining, Mr Crookes is a Partner at Lionhead Resources, a critical minerals investment fund, and is a former Investment Director at EMR Capital. Prior to this, he was an Executive Director in Macquarie Bank’s Metals, Energy and Capital (MEC) division, where he managed the bank’s principal investments in mining and metals companies and originated numerous project finance transactions.
Mr Crookes is also Chair of Brightstar Resources (ASX:BTR), an emerging gold company with operations in the Tier 1 mining jurisdiction of Western Australia.
He has extensive experience in the origination, evaluation, structuring and execution of investments and divestments across private and publicly listed resource companies in Australia and internationally, as well as the execution of project finance transactions throughout Africa. Mr Crookes holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance. He is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI).
John de Vries
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer
B Eng (Mining), M Sc (Mineral Economics), Grad Dip (Economic Geology), Grad Dip (Financial Markets)
Mr de Vries has over 40 years of experience in mine development and operations. He began his career in 1984 with WMC Resources, where he held a range of operational roles including Underground Manager, Senior Mining Engineer and Manager Mining.
In 1998, Mr de Vries joined AMC Consultants as Principal Mining Engineer, responsible for mine optimisation. He later joined Orica Mining Services in 2003 as Global Business Manager, Advanced Mining Solutions, before moving to BHP Billiton (ASX:BHP) in 2007 as Manager Strategic Mine Planning. Following his tenure at BHP, he served as General Manager Technical Services at St Barbara Limited (ASX:SBM) from 2011 to 2015 before taking a sabbatical from 2015 to 2017.
Mr de Vries joined Black Rock Mining as Chief Executive Officer in 2017 and has led the Company through its transition from exploration to project development. He has overseen feasibility studies, organisational growth, financing strategy and stakeholder engagement, while playing a key role in developing the Company’s staged development strategy, securing regulatory approvals and building strong relationships with government, investors and strategic partners.
Mr de Vries holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining), a Master of Science in Mineral Economics, a Graduate Diploma in Economic Geology and a Graduate Diploma in Financial Markets. He is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia (FINSIA) and a Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME).
Ian Murray
Non-Executive Director
B Com, ICAA, SAICA, FAICD
Mr Murray has more than 30 years of experience in senior leadership roles across the mining, finance and professional services sectors. He previously served as Executive Chair and Managing Director of Gold Road Resources Ltd (ASX:GOR), where he led the successful development and delivery of the Gruyere Gold Mine.
Prior to this, Mr Murray was Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer of DRDGOLD Limited (NYSE; JSE), where he oversaw major acquisitions, corporate restructures and stock exchange listings. During his tenure at DRDGOLD, he also served on the board of South African gold refinery, Rand Refinery Limited, and the internet-based commodity investment platform, GoldMoney.com
Mr Murray has also held senior executive positions with KPMG, Price Waterhouse and Bioclones, providing extensive experience in finance, corporate strategy, governance and business leadership.
Mr Murray holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Cape Town, and an Executive degree in Advanced Management and Leadership from the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
In addition to his role at Black Rock Mining, Mr Murray is Non-executive Chair of Jupiter Mines Limited (ASX: JMS) which own 49.9% of the Tshipi Manganese Mine in the Kalahari Manganese Field in South Africa, and Non-Executive Director of Arafura Rare Earths Limited (ASX:ARU), an Australian critical minerals company developing the Nolans Rare Earth Project in the Northern Territory, Australia.
Ursula Phillips
Non-Executive Director
BA Hons, GAICD
Ms Phillips has over 20 years of experience in technology, digital transformation, operations and risk management, including more than 10 years in executive leadership roles across major organisations.
Ms Phillips is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Batea Consulting, a specialist advisory firm providing digital, risk and cyber capabilities to organisations undergoing rapid growth and major transitions. Prior to this, she served as Chief Technology Officer at Tattarang, owner of Wyloo Metals and Squadron Energy, Chief Information Officer at PepsiCo ANZ, and Chief Information Officer and Chief Risk Officer at Real Pet Food Company.
Ms Phillips holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Politics from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Dongjoo (DJ) Kim
Non-Executive Director
BA
Mr Kim is POSCO’s nominated director and is a Senior Manager at POSCO International’s Sydney office. His responsibilities include purchasing and investing in raw materials in Australia, as well as managing various investment projects. Since joining POSCO International in 2010, DJ has accumulated over 15 years of experience in the raw materials investment, purchasing and sales.
Executive Management
Daniel Pantany
GM Engineering & Technical
Mr Pantany has over 28 years of experience leading the development and execution of large‑scale mining and mineral processing projects across Australia and Africa. He has worked across a broad range of commodities, including gold, nickel, mineral sands, copper, uranium, graphite, potash and iron ore.
Mr Pantany has extensive experience delivering major resource projects across a range of contract models, including EPCM, EP and lump-sum EPC. Most recently, he held a senior role with CPC Engineering, including a secondment as Project Engineering Manager for Syrah Resources’ Balama Graphite Project in Mozambique.
Mr Pantany holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from the University of Western Australia.
Paul Sims
Chief Financial Officer
Mr Sims has over 40 years of experience in the resources sector, with extensive expertise in finance, debt funding, project development and cost control. He has a proven track record of improving business performance and has worked across a diverse range of commodities, including iron ore, nickel, gold, tin, tantalum and uranium.
Prior to joining Black Rock Mining in 2022, Mr Sims held senior finance and commercial roles with Energy Resources of Australia, BHP, WMC Resources and Minara Resources. At Minara Resources, he served as Commercial Manager and Acting Chief Financial Officer, where he played a key role in the transformation of the Murrin Murrin laterite nickel operation into a profitable mining business.
Mr Sims holds a Bachelor of Accounting and Finance from Curtin University.
Rae Wyatt
Chief People & Sustainability Officer
Ms Wyatt has 20 years of experience in human resources within the resources sector, specialising in project development, stakeholder engagement and organisational development.
Prior to joining Black Rock Mining, Ms Wyatt held senior human resources and stakeholder engagement roles with Iluka Resources, Clean Teq, Gold Road Resources, Evolution Mining, Norton Goldfields and BHP (Nickel West). Her experience spans strategic workforce planning, ESG, employee relations, mergers and acquisitions due diligence, and community engagement.
As a Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors and holding a Bachelor of Commerce in HR Management and Industrial Relations from Curtin University, Ms Wyatt brings extensive experience in supporting the development and growth of mining operations through strategic people leadership, governance and stakeholder engagement.