Ms Bronwyn Barnes has been appointed as CEO of HPX and a Director of SMFG with immediate effect. Ms Barnes is a highly respected and experienced resources industry professional with extensive experience in working in Guinea and Mali, and a more than 25 year career successfully leading exploration and mining projects internationally. With a particular skill set around working collaboratively with Government to achieve development outcomes, her achievements in the resources sector led her to be honoured in 2015 as the recipient of Outstanding Women in Resources Awards in Australia. Ms Barnes was also inducted into the Western Australian Women’s Hall of Fame in 2019 for her services to the resources sector.

Mr Mamady Youla and SMFG/HPX have decided by mutual agreement to end their collaboration with immediate effect; Mr Youla will depart SMFG as Director and Chief Executive Officer and is currently working with the Company to ensure a smooth handover. Bronwyn will assume the role
of Acting CEO of SMFG until a formal recruitment process to appoint a new CEO is completed. Mamady remains available to the Company in the future to assist where required and the Company thanks him sincerely for his support of the Project over the past three years, and his dedication and personal commitment to our employees.

Ms Barnes will divide her time between London and Conakry over the next few months as the next critical steps with Nimba unfold.

Ms Barnes stated: “I would like to personally thank Mamady Youla for his service to the Company over the past three years. Mamady has been a great leader and friend to many of us on the Project, and we would like to wish him every success for his future endeavours”.

Mr Philip Mitchell has assumed the role of Chairman of the Board of SMFG following the resignation of Mr Eric Finlayson. Mr Finlayson has resigned to assume the role of Chief of Global Exploration for Ivanhoe Electric. We thank Eric for his service to the Company and wish him every success in his new role.

These leadership changes reflect the current situation with the Nimba Project and the new direction that HPX and SMFG intend to give to its activities in Guinea. The Company is in the process of finalising studies works for Phase 1 of the Nimba project and looks forward to development of the Project in a win-win partnership with the Government of Guinea.

About HPX
HPX is a privately-owned, U.S.-domiciled mineral exploration and development company.

SMFG is a Guinean incorporated mining company and an 85% owned subsidiary of HPX, owned in partnership with the Government of Guinea. For further information, please visit www.smfg.com.