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Douglas Willock spent 21 years as an investment banker with leading international and domestic banks before founding Polar Star Mining in 2003. From 1996 to 1999 he co-led the mining department of National Bank Financial’s investment banking arm known as Lévesque Beaubien Geoffrion Inc. From 1992 to 1996, he was Vice President and Director of Deutsche Bank Securities Ltd. spending much of his time arranging mine financings, delivering Fairness Opinions and active in mergers and acquisitions. He was with Exall Resources Limited, a mining and oil and gas company, from May, 2001 as Vice- President, Corporate Development and subsequently became a director until December 2006. Mr. Willock served as Vice-President Corporate Development of Silvermet Inc., a mining company based in Toronto, from January 2005 to June 2007. Since January 2007, Mr. Willock has devoted nearly all of his time and effort to his role as President and Chief Executive Officer of Polar Star. Mr. Willock serves as a lead director of Olympus Pacific Minerals Inc., a Toronto based mining company, which he joined February 2006.
Mr. Willock holds a Master of Business Administration degree with a major in finance from the Richard Ivey School of Business, a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia and attended the Beijing Language Institute on a joint Government of Canada and China scholarship from 1976 to 1977.
Mr. Rochacewich is a Chartered Accountant with over 6 years experience in the area of financial accounting and reporting. Subsequent to obtaining his designation at Ernst & Young LLP.
Adam has held financial positions with Xstrata Plc, LionOre Mining International and Falconbridge Ltd. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queens University.
Mr. Walker is a Professional Geologist based in La Serena, Chile who has been active in mineral exploration in Chile for the past 11 years. Mr. Walker's 38 years of experience spans four continents: Europe, North and South America and Africa and covers a wide range of commodities including: U, Cu, Pb, Zn, Mo, Au, Ag, Co, Cd, W, Sn, Ti, Mn, Diamonds, Kaolin and Cement feed stock.
Terry earned his geology degree from the University of London and his Masters of Applied Mineral Exploration (M. Sc.) from McGill University in Montreal. Mr. Walker has extensive geological experience with both major and smaller mining operations and has covered all aspects from grass roots project generation to pre-development deposit definition, mine geology and economic evaluation.
David G. Speck has been in the investment industry for the majority of his career, beginning as a stockbroker with Pitfield Mackay Ross in 1982. Mr. Speck built his advisory business over 12 years before having the opportunity to start the O’Donnell Group of Funds from its inception, as Vice President. After 5 years with O’Donnell, Mr. Speck was offered a position with Merrill Lynch Canada where he was appointed Complex Sales Manager for 10 branches and approximately 120 financial advisors. Shortly after Merrill Lynch Canada was acquired by CIBC Wood Gundy, Mr. Speck accepted the position of National Sales Manager of Research Capital Corporation, a Toronto based financial services company, with approximately 110 financial advisors. From October 31, 2006, Mr. Speck was the President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Genetic Diagnostics Technologies Corp., which owned and operated a development stage DNA diagnostics company, which was a party to an amalgamation in 2007 to create Polar Star. Genetic Diagnostics Technologies Corp. was located in Toronto. He has been an independent investor relations officer for several companies listed on the TSX Venture Exchange from June 2005 to present.
Mr. Speck holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Guelph (Political Science/Economics). He completed his fellowship in the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI) in 1986, and received a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1994 from the University of Virginia.
David M. Petroff has over 25 years of experience in finance and administration in the resource sector, most recently, from May 2004 to June 2008, as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Centerra Gold Inc., a Toronto based mining company. He joined Cameco Corporation, a uranium producer located in Saskatoon, in February 1997, serving as Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration and adopting the additional role of Chief Financial Officer, in May 1997. From 1984 to 1997, Mr. Petroff worked for Denison Mines Limited, most recently as Vice-President and Treasurer. Prior to that, he was Vice-President, Corporate Finance at Wood Gundy Inc. from 1980 to 1984.
Mr. Petroff received a bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo in 1978 and a Master of Business Administration degree (finance concentration) from the Schulich School of Business, York University in 1980. Mr. Petroff is a member of Financial Executives International (Canada) and an active member of its Committee on Corporate Reporting.
H. Stuart Bottomley has broad knowledge and experience in international asset management, risk management and corporate funding. After working as a stockbroker for nine years, Mr. Bottomley worked as a portfolio manager for the Target Group of Unit Trusts first under the ownership of Dawnay Day and subsequently with J. Rothschild Investment Management. In 1984, he joined Fidelity International (a financial services firm) in London, working with the ERISA group, focused on UK and European markets. Since leaving Fidelity International, Mr. Bottomley has consulted for numerous private and public companies, advised many Australian companies on admissions to AIM and assisted in IPOs and other fundraisings.
He is currently a non-executive director of African Consolidated Resources plc.(an AIM-listed mining company), Centamin Egypt Limited (an Australia based and TSX-listed mining company), Starfield Resources Inc. (a Toronto based and TSX-listed mining company) and Verona Pharma Plc. (an AIM-listed life sciences company).
Al Kroontje is a Professional Engineer with 30 years of diversified experience in corporate start-ups and finance, which also includes corporate re-organizations, going public transactions and merger/acquisition activities in the resource sector, mostly involving oil and gas exploration and production, oil and gas service companies or trusts, and also in mining, technology and biotechnology ventures. He is the President of his private investment company, Pellinore Holdings Ltd., and is a significant shareholder of several private and public companies, for some of which he is also a board member or trustee. He is also the President and Chief Executive Officer of Telford Services Group Inc., a Calgary based provider of services associated with the oil and gas industry. During the past 10 years, he has been involved in numerous financings of these various ventures and in their sale on a corporate level, and in the acquisition and divestiture of properties within those entities.
Mr. Kroontje is also actively involved in two firms which together own over 50 commercial aircraft which are either operated directly in Alberta or leased to various operators throughout the world whereby he maintains a single pilot Citation jet operating authority. Mr. Kroontje holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.
Wes Roberts is a Professional Engineer specializing in economic evaluation and development of mineral projects. Mr. Roberts has over 25 years of experience in mineral exploration, mining operations, project engineering and management. He is currently the Vice President of the mining group at HB Global Advisors Corp. (HB Global), a consulting firm. From May 2006 to April 2008, Mr. Roberts was Vice President, Corporate Development for Breakwater Resources Ltd., a Toronto based mining firm. Over the past five years, Mr. Roberts has also acted as a Project Consultant for Inco Limited in a variety of areas including exploration, capital projects, and feasibility studies. Inco Limited, now CVRD Inco Limited, is one of the world’s leading nickel mining companies and has offices globally, including in Toronto.
Mr. Roberts holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from Queen’s University and an M.B.A. degree from the Schulich School of Business at York University.
David A. Seton has served variously as a director and managing director of a number of companies listed on the New Zealand and Australian Stock Exchanges. Mr. Seton is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Olympus Pacific Minerals Inc., a Toronto based TSX listed mining company. He has been a director and acted in various executive roles at Olympus Pacific Minerals Inc. over the past five years.
Mr. Seton acquired Olympus Pacific Minerals Inc. in 1996 as an inactive company. Since that time he has played a lead role in the transformation of that company into a producing mining company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
