Executive Directors

Executive Chairman - Dr Sergey V Kurzin - Dr Sergey Kurzin is a Russian-born (1960) research engineer who moved to the United Kingdom in 1990 and has since played a key role in initiatives to acquire and progress several important Former Soviet Union mining assets. These include Julietta (a high grade gold deposit in Magadan, Russia, with Bema Gold), Kupol (a high grade epithermal gold deposit in Chukotka, Russia, also with with Bema Gold), the Varvarinskoye copper and gold skarn deposit in Kazakhstan with European Minerals Corporation. He has also played a key role in establishing UrAsia Energy Ltd, a uranium producer with mining operations in the Republic of Kazakhstan. He founded Oriel Resources Plc and held the position of its Executive Chairman. He also holds the position of Executive Chairman of Everfor Resources Plc. He also holds the position of Executive Chairman of Everfor Resources Plc.

Sergey has been an officer and consultant for the following companies active in the FSU:

• Bema Gold - consultant on Kupol and Julietta gold developments
• Arian Resources Corp. (acquired by Bema) – ex. VP Corporate Development
• European Minerals Corporation - ex. VP Corporate Development
• Consolidated Puma Minerals Corp. - PGM in Kola Peninsula, Russia
• Zincox - Zinc project in Kazakhstan
• Eurasia Mining plc - PGM projects in Russia
• Oriel Resources plc - ex. Executive Chairman  

Director, Chief Operating Officer - Dr Alexander Yakubchuk - Dr Alexander Yakubchuk joined the Company in 2008 as a consultant and later as Director of Exploration, bringing more than 14 years of experience gained in the FSU, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, as well as internationally in Australia, Mongolia, China, Canada, and several European countries. During 2003-2007 he held the position of Exploration Manager for Europe and FSU for Gold Fields. Dr Yakubchuk has previously worked with and consulted companies such as BHP-Billiton, Norilsk Nickel, Goldcorp, Rio Tinto, World Bank and Inco and previously lectured as an Associate Professor at Lomonosov Moscow Sate University for 5 years.  

Chief Financial Officer - Mr Petro Mychalkiw - Mr Petro Mychalkiw was previously Oriel’s Treasurer and Head of Corporate Finance, where he was responsible for strategic financial and tax planning, treasury, mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing. Prior to that position, he was Oriel’s Regional Finance Director, Kazakhstan, responsible for tax planning, contract negotiations and financial reporting and was a vital part of the team which not only secured the December 2006 US$120m project financing deal for the Voskhod chrome project with the Eurasian Development Bank, Bayerische Hypo- und Vereinsbank AG and WestLB AG, but was awarded the prestigious 2006 European Mining Deal of the Year award from Project Finance Magazine. Prior to joining Oriel, British-born Petro held the position of Divisional Finance Director for Tribal Group plc, the LSE listed provider of consulting, IT and professional support services.  

Technical Director - Mr Raymond Oates - Mr Ray Oates has an extensive mining and engineering experience spanning over 30 years. Mr Oates has recently worked with Kazakhmys (Kazakhstan), an LSE-listed company operating in Kazakhstan. As the General Manager, Mr Oates has been in charge of the Eastern Region operations which included the production of five underground mines and four concentrators employing a total of 13,000 people. Previously Ray Oates oversaw the construction of Oriel’s Voskhod underground chrome mine and the development of the Shevchenko nickel deposit as the Technical Director. Ray Oates had managed numerous projects worldwide: the UK, South Africa, Fiji, New Zealand, South America, Eastern Europe and the CIS. Mr Oates is a Mining Engineer and a member of the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.  

Company Secretary - Tania Tchedaeva - Mrs Tania Tchedaeva, a Russian-born, British citizen, is a Chartered Company Secretary and a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA). She graduated with a Masters in Finance from the London Business School in July 2008. Tania worked as Assistant Company Secretary at Oriel Resources Plc for four years and coordinated such transactions as the November 2006 reverse takeover of IPH Polychrom Holdings B.V. and the takeover of Oriel by Mechel OAO. She also held the position of part-time Assistant Company Secretary with Lero Gold Corporation until the Company’s acquisition by European Minerals Corporation.