Zacatecas Silver Corp. (TSX-V:ZAC, OTC:ZCTSF) has announced the appointment of Eric Vanderleeuw as CEO and director as the company intensifies its focus on advancing the Zacatecas silver project in Mexico’s prolific Fresnillo silver belt.
Vanderleeuw brings a wealth of experience in capital markets, where he has successfully raised over $100 million for various ventures, the company said in a statement.
His expertise spans marketing, investor relations, and business development in the mining sector, complemented by a strong background in planning and land development.
Further, the company announced that Mario Vetro, a seasoned resource sector financier and CEO of Commodity Partners, has been appointed as an advisor to support the company’s growth initiatives.
Alastair Brownlow of Redfern Consulting will take on the role of CFO, succeeding Jonathan Richards, who has also stepped down as a director.
Outgoing CEO and director Bryan Slusarchuk will transition into an advisory role alongside Vetro.
Vanderleeuw expressed enthusiasm for taking on the role of CEO at a key time for the company, with its immediate operational focus on advancing the Zacatecas silver project.
“This high-potential asset, which already holds an established resource, offers significant exploration upside, which we will aim to expand through targeted drilling and fieldwork in the near term,” Vanderleeuw said.
“Concurrently, we will refresh our corporate strategy, strengthen our presence in capital markets and explore strategic options for the advanced-stage Esperanza gold project. Esperanza is a high-quality asset, and we will evaluate the best ways to unlock value for all stakeholders, including assessing ongoing and new interest from other corporates."
In connection with the leadership appointments, Zacatecas Silver has arranged a $1.5 million non-brokered private placement to fund ongoing property costs and for general working capital.
The company has also granted 3 million incentive stock options exercisable at $0.10 for five years and 5 million restricted share units to incoming management, advisors and directors.