Board of Directors
Christopher David Palmer-Tomkinson
(Non-Executive Chairman)
Christopher Palmer-Tomkinson graduated from Oxford University with a degree in jurisprudence and joined Cazenove in 1963. Christopher served as a partner from 1972 until 2001 and as managing director of corporate finance until May 2002. He was responsible at various times for Cazenove’s African and Australian business which enabled him to focus on the resource sector. Christopher was a director of Highland Gold Mining Limited from 2002 until 2008.
Luo Tao
(Non-Executive Deputy Chairman)
Luo Tao is the Chairman of China Nonferrous Metals Int’l Mining Co. Ltd (CNMIM), and President of China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co. Ltd, the parent company of CNMIM. He is the Deputy Chairman of Chaarat and sits on the remuneration committee. Luo is a senior economist with over 30 years experience in the nonferrous metals industry in China, and was a Vice Director of Beijing General Research Institute for Nonferrous Metals. He was also the Chairman of Committee of Supervisors and Vice President of Aluminium Corporation of China Ltd (CHALCO), a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
(Chief Executive Officer)
Dekel Golan is a graduate of Tel Aviv University. Dekel, formerly president of Apex Asia LDC, a subsidiary of Apex Silver Mines Limited, has extensive experience in promoting and developing businesses both in emerging economies as well as the developed world. He was the founder and Executive Chairman of African Plantations Corporation Limited. In addition, he has advised a number of international and Israeli companies on business development and competitive intelligence. Prior to those activities Dekel was Vice President of Business Development of Supersol, the largest retail operator in Israel and established and managed the unit for competitive intelligence for Dead Sea Bromine Group, the world’s largest bromine producer.
(Executive Director)
Alex Novak is a graduate of the Kazakh Polytechnic Institute (M.Sc). Alex has assisted several companies investing in Kyrgyzstan in various aspects of finance, administration and representation vis a vis the local authorities since 2000. He has more than 25 years experience in all aspects of business management in Central Asia including negotiations with governmental institutions, contractors, preparation of development plans, monitoring of operations and public relations.
Alex was instrumental in drafting and signing investment agreements between the government of the Kyrgyz Republic and two extraction companies, Textonic and Kumushtak, a subsidiary of Apex Silver Mines Limited. From 1992 to 1995, he was a founding partner and a director of Maya Elev Diamond Limited, a diamond processing plant in Russia. From 1978 through to 1990, Mr Novak held several positions at numerous construction companies in Kazakhstan, including Director of KazStroiMontajAvtomatika. Alex is also the sole director of Chaarat Zaav.
Linda Naylor
(Finance Director)
Linda is a graduate of the London School of Economics and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. She was a partner in Grant Thornton UK LLP for more than 20 years working as a nominated adviser in the Capital Markets team from 1996 and as an audit partner specialising in the natural resource sector.
(Non-Executive Director)
Oliver Greene is a graduate in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University. A career banker, he has over 35 years experience as a practitioner in international corporate finance, credit and corporate recovery in the US and Europe. Oliver joined Citibank in 1965 holding various assignments in New York and London with experience in Petroleum and Chemicals financing, leasing and structured finance, and exposure to Scandinavian and Eastern European markets. In 1980 he moved to Bankers Trust Company to head their UK World Corporate Department in London. Oliver joined Chase Manhattan Bank in 1988 as Managing Director, Head of UK Corporate Finance followed in 1990 by the management of impaired assets in the UK. In 1996 he moved to UBS as a Managing Director in Corporate Finance before accepting an invitation to join the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development in 1998 as Director of Corporate Recovery. Oliver is also a consultant to the EBRD bank. Oliver also served as a member of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the Remuneration committee of Banca Comerciala Romana S. A in Bucharest from 2004 to 2006.
Since 2004 Oliver has been a member of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Bank Pekao S.A Warsaw (a publicly listed Unicredito Group subsidiary) and, since 2006, a member of the Supervisory Board of Korado AS in the Czech Republic.
David Tang
(Non-Executive Director)
David Tang is President of China Nonferrous Metals Int’l Mining Co.Ltd (CNMIM) and is appointed to the Audit Committee. In the early 1990’s, David pioneered the trading system for the first nonferrous metals future commodity exchange in China, worked for several years in Canada in the investment management and consulting industry before returning to China to take up office at CNMIM. He also holds a Master of Science degree.
Sunit Patel
(Vice President - Geology)
Sunit Patel holds a B.Sc. (Honours) degree in Geology from Sambalpur University, India and a M.Sc. (Geology) from Berhampur University, India. In addition, he obtained training in Mineral Exploration, Geographical Information Systems, Airborne Geophysics, SURPAC and Structural Geology. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of India, the Geological Society of London and a Member of the Geological Society of South Africa.
Sunit has more than 20 years of experience in Greenfield and Brownfield exploration for mineral commodities like gold, base metals, copper, cobalt and manganese. Some of his significant works include gold exploration in Noa Dihing valley - India, exploration and pre-feasibility study of Makala Cobalt Mine in DRC, discovery and detailed exploration for manganese in Lasarda-Pacheri area of Bonai-Keonjhar Belt, India and detailed exploration for base metals near Shergaon, Eastern Himalaya, India. Before joining Chaarat, he established and led a large exploration department for CHEMAF s.p.r.l. in DRC. Prior to his move to the commercial sector Sunit served the Geological Survey of India as Senior Exploration Geologist.
Sunit has more than 20 research publications to his credit.
Harry Lopes
(Group Financial Controller)
Harry Lopes is a Chartered Accountant with 6 years experience in the Audit and Corporate Finance Departments of Grant Thornton UK. Harry holds an MA (Honours) degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh. He has worked for Chaarat since May 2008.