Koryx Copper has appointed Osino Resources boss Heye Daun as the executive chairperson and Alan Friedman as the lead independent director effective immediately.
The new appointments follow the resignation of Pierre Matte and Tim Fernback from the Board of Directors.
Koryx Copper CEO Pierre Léveillé steps down but remains President and Director of the Company.
The company says that pending their ongoing technical review of Koryx activities, Daun and Friedman will lead the repositioning of Koryx Copper as a thriving African copper developer.
The pair is also expected to strengthen its shareholder base, improve technical credibility, and improve public market traction.
Daun says that after investing in Koryx in 2024, they are delighted to join the Board of Directors and take a leading role in repositioning Koryx as a successful Namibian copper developer with significant scale potential.
“Our track record and experience, particularly in Namibia, founding Osino and leading its rapid advancement from discovery to construction, exemplify our vision for Koryx Copper,” Daun said.
He added that the vision is to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of the Haib Copper Project as the next excellent copper development asset in Africa.
“We plan to achieve this by financing the company, assembling a quality management team and then permitting and advancing the project to construction readiness in as short a timeframe as possible,” Daun added.
Léveillé said the appointment of Daun and Friedman to our Board of Directors is a significant addition to the company.
He said they bring the company a wealth of technical and capital market knowledge and project development experience.
“They have been very successful at founding resource companies, making discoveries and advancing such companies through public listings, significant financings, M&A, and ultimately exiting.
“This addition comes on the heel of their most recent success, the sale of Namibia gold developer Osino Resources to Shanjin International Gold Co., Ltd. (formerly known as Yintai Gold Co., Ltd.) for C$368m,” Léveillé said.
He further said their vast experience in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically Namibia, will add considerable value as Koryx develops its mineral assets in Namibia and Zambia.
Daun (BSc (Eng) (Mining), MBA) is a Namibian-born mining engineer with 30 years of experience in mining and finance. After ten years in uranium and gold mining in Namibia and West Africa with Rio Tinto, AngloGold and Goldfields, Daun spent three years in mining project finance and fund management.
Since 2009, he has become a mining entrepreneur with multiple successful exits. He was a co-founder (with Alan Friedman) and President of Auryx Gold Corp., which advanced the Otjikoto gold project in Namibia and, in 2012, was sold to B2Gold Corp. for CS$180 million.
He then led a turn-around and subsequent merger of Ecuador Gold & Copper Corp. with Odin Mining, a Ross Beaty company, to form Lumina Gold Corp. before founding Osino Resources Corp. with Alan Friedman in 2016 and recently closing the sale of Osino to Shanjin International Gold Co. Ltd (formerly Yintai Gold Co., Ltd.) for C$368m.
Alan Friedman (BCom, BProc) is a South African-trained lawyer based in Canada with an established track record of over 25 years as a public markets entrepreneur.
Friedman has played an integral role in the financings, go-public transactions, and subsequent exits for many resource companies on TSX and AIM.
He is a co-founder and director of TSX-V listed Eco (Atlantic) Oil and Gas Ltd. and co-founder of Auryx Gold Corp. and Osino Resources Corp.
Daun and Friedman have a well-established business partnership of over 15 years with complementary skills, networks and geography (Heye Daun is based between Namibia and South Africa, and Alan Friedman is based in Toronto), which has been essential to their joint success.