Experienced mining executive Ben Stockdale has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the company, effective immediately.
A seasoned finance and commercial executive, Stockdale joined Ausgold (ASX:AUC) as Chief Financial Officer in August 2024 and will now transition into the CEO role.
He brings more than 25 years of senior leadership experience in the resources industry across exploration, development and operational mining companies, including extensive experience in debt and equity financing of minerals projects in Australia and abroad.
“As we advance the Katanning Gold Project towards a final investment decision, we are focused on building a high-quality team to lead the company through the transition from project developer to gold producer,” Ausgold chairman John Dorward said.
“Ben has played an instrumental role in driving the successful progress of the business since joining Ausgold and is ideally placed to lead the company through this next exciting phase of growth.”
The Katanning Gold Project (KGP) is expected to produce 1.22Moz over a decade-long mine life, including 143,000ozpa in its first four years.
Infill and extensional drilling recently returned hits of up to 41.25g/t gold, with wide zones of mineralisation encountered beyond reserve in a strong signal for resource upside.
Dorward will remain in the role of executive chairman to provide ongoing senior executive leadership and support but is expected to transition to a non-executive role towards the end of 2026.
The company has also appointed Reece Olney as General Manager Operations for the KGP.
“As a seasoned campaigner in the resources sector, Reece will be pivotal in planning and executing the important transition of the KGP from construction to operations,” Dorward said.
Olney is a highly experienced mining operations general manager with demonstrated capability in the resources industry across multiple commodities in open cut and underground operations.
He has a proven history in project development and operations, with more than 30 years of mining industry experience including GM operations roles at several of Mt Gibson Iron’s mines over the past decade.
Olney was most recently general manager for the Weld Range Project for Fenix Resources.
He will be focused on supporting the KGP development team through the construction phase and leading the operational readiness planning to gear up for the commencement of operations.
