By: OrePulse

Unicorn Mineral Resources named Patrick Doherty as executive chairperson and appointed two new non-executive directors, Graeme Fawcett and Kevin Warrington, as the company builds out its leadership team ahead of development work at the Klein Aub copper mine in Namibia, the company said.

The board changes follow Unicorn's recent acquisition of a controlling interest in the Namibian copper mine, a change of control that the company has linked to its push to move the project toward development. In September, the company said it had begun a process to strengthen its senior executive and operational management; that process is continuing, the company said.

Fawcett brings more than 40 years of international experience spanning engineering, legal, commercial and insurance work, including on major energy projects, according to the company. He previously served as interim chief executive of Atlantic Petroleum and has worked on projects in Angola and Ghana, as well as on floating liquefied natural gas assignments, the company said.

Warrington has more than 15 years of experience in governance, regulatory compliance and corporate administration, the company said. He currently serves as company secretary and compliance officer at Marula Mining, a role that the company said gives him direct experience overseeing compliance functions at a mining-focused business.

With the latest appointments, Unicorn's board now comprises Doherty as executive chairperson, Dave Blaney as chief operating officer and executive director, John O'Connor as chief financial officer and executive director, Fawcett as a non-executive director, and Warrington as an independent non-executive director, the company said.

Doherty said the combined experience of the new appointees would add depth to the board and support the company through its next phase of growth. "As we progress our plans for Klein Aub," the additional expertise on the board would help guide that work, he said.

The appointments come as Unicorn works to advance Klein Aub toward development following its acquisition of the controlling stake in the Namibian copper mine, the company said. Taken together with the management review launched in September, the changes are intended to put in place the executive and non-executive oversight the company says it needs as the Klein Aub project moves through its next stage of planning, the company said.

The copper mine, located in Namibia, is the central asset underpinning Unicorn's current growth strategy, with the board changes presented by the company as a step toward resourcing that strategy with additional governance and operational experience.