Independent Chairman & Director
Robert Boaz has 18 years in the investment business after a distinguished career in the power and natural gas industry working in management positions for Ontario Hydro, Saskatchewan Power and Consumers Gas. He has held senior management positions in a number of firms in the investment industry, including Dundee Securities, HSBC Canada Inc., BZW Canada Inc. and Midland Doherty Inc., with direct responsibilities related to research, portfolio management, institutional sales and investment banking. More recently, Mr. Boaz was Managing Director of Investment Banking with Raymond James Ltd. in Toronto. In this capacity, he was primarily responsible for the financing of (and mergers and acquisitions for) mining, real estate, and special situations companies.
Director
Jonathan Challis is a seasoned mining engineer with over 32 years experience in the operation, management, financing, and analysis of mining projects around the world. Mr. Challis started his professional life in London as a Mining Engineer with Gold Fields of South Africa Limited and later became a mining analyst for James Capel & Co., Barclays Bank Ltd. and MecLeod Young Weir. In 1994, he joined CM Oliver in Toronto as a Director and Senior Mining Analyst prior to moving back to London where he was instrumental in establishing a European presence for that company. In 1997, he joined Ivanhoe Capital Corporation and was involved in numerous early stage exploration ventures in diverse locations. In 1999, he became President and a Director of Shore Gold where he oversaw the planning, engineering and initial extraction of nearly 23,000 tonnes of kimberlite from Shore's Star kimberlite in Saskatchewan via vertical shaft. He has an Honours degree in Mineral Exploitation from University College, Cardiff, and an MBA degree from Cranfield University. He has obtained the South African Metalliferous Mine Captain's and Mine Manager's Certificates of Competency. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Materials, Minerals and Mining and a Chartered Engineer.
Country Manager in Peru
Arnaldo Leon has over 32 years of experience as a mining specialist in Peru and is responsible for managing Solex's existing property portfolio. Mr. Leon is a mining engineer from the National University of Engineering in Lima, Peru, and obtained his Master's of Science degree in Mineral Economics from the Colorado School of Mines and a Diploma in Corporate Management from the AOTS Institute in Tokyo, Japan. Having worked as the Head of the Mining Division at the investment bank Flemings (now JP Morgan Chase) in Peru and as a Mining Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank and at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., Mr. Leon has established an impressive range of contacts at both the commercial and institutional levels.