The move comes as the company looks to update the resource and kick off a new exploration campaign at its Coogee gold mine in WA.

Coogee currently holds a 1.4Mt @ 1.07 g/t indicated and inferred resource for a contained 49,000oz of gold, and is currently under review by Javelin alongside the new exploration strategy.

Previously, Ramelius Resources (ASX:RMS) mined an open cut pit (approximately 70m deep) at Coogee in 2013, with reported production of 147,400 tonnes at 4.7 g/t Au for a recovered 20,400 ounces of gold.

Processing was at the Burbanks mill (conventional carbon-in-leach processing facility), south of Coolgardie with metallurgical recovery of 96.4%.

Rich’s appointment to the Javelin Minerals (ASX:JAV) board is a key part of the company’s new corporate and operational strategy focused on the gold mine.

Rich has 14 years’ experience as a mining engineer and manager across gold and nickel.

He has successfully led the delivery of three mining projects through construction and into production including Westgold Resources’ (ASX:WGX) Paddy’s Flat, Ramelius’ Shannon Underground, and Brightstar’s’s Second Fortune gold project.

Rich is currently an executive director of emerging WA gold producer Brightstar Resources (ASX:BTR) and was previously managing director of Linden where he led Linden’s business across mining and corporate functions prior to the recent Linden acquisition by Brightstar.

“Andrew’s skills and experience in growing and developing WA gold projects will be invaluable as we unlock the value of our Coogee project,” Javelin executive chairman Brett Mitchell said.

The company is currently finalising priority exploration targets ahead of a targeted drilling campaign to begin shortly on the Coogee mining licence and adjacent exploration licences.

“We know Coogee has immense potential to create value,” Mitchell said.

“It has a history of high-grade production and there is extensive known mineralisation on the existing tenement package.

“Given this background and its prime address right next to the rich St Ives goldfield, we believe Coogee could join the growing list of WA brownfields exploration projects which have witnessed huge inventory growth in recent times through the application of modern exploration techniques and access to capital.”