Talisman Mining Ltd (ASX:TLM) has appointed one of Western Australia’s most successful mining executives and investors Kerry Harmanis as non-executive chairman effective immediately.
Harmanis has been a major shareholder and strong supporter of Talisman since 2007 and currently holds an 18% stake in the company.
Jubilee founder
With a career spanning more than 40 years in the Australian exploration and mining industry, Harmanis was the founder and executive chairman of Jubilee Mines, a West Australian nickel miner which he established in 1987.
Through a combination of exploration success, focused project development and operational consistency, Jubilee Mines grew to become one of the most successful mid-tier miners on the ASX until its acquisition by Xstrata in 2007 for A$3.1 billion in October 2007.
Harmanis will succeed current chair Jeremy Kirkwood who will remain on the board as a non-executive director.
“Experience, energy and opportunities”
Kirkwood said: “Kerry has been a long-standing shareholder and supporter of Talisman.
“He will bring experience, energy and opportunities to Talisman, which has significantly transformed over the past two years through the sale of its Monty and Sinclair assets to become a pure, cash-backed exploration company with a prospective royalty portfolio.”
“Well placed” in buoyant market
Harmanis said: “Talisman has an exciting future in front of it and I am looking forward to the challenge of leading the company as it embarks on this next chapter in its history.
“Talisman is well placed to participate in what is currently a buoyant market for junior exploration companies, especially in the gold sector, and our focus will be both to maximise returns from our existing assets while also looking for new growth opportunities in the gold and base metals sector in Western Australia.
“We will adopt a patient, systematic and judicious approach in our search for new projects to ensure we find the right assets with the potential to create long-term shareholder value for Talisman.”
Under the terms of his appointment, Harmanis has elected not to receive a salary or be issued with any shares in his role as non-executive chairman.
