Board & Management
Gavin Lockyer (BBus, FCA)
Executive Chairman
As Managing Director of Arafura Rare Earths (ARU.ASX), Gavin positioned the globally significant, Nolans Rare Earths project ready for construction before retiring from the company in 2024. Gavin’s global experience includes management and leadership in a range of disciplines including accounting, financial and investment banking, major resource development and operations, and global bank treasuries. Prior to Arafura, he served as Financial Controller with Tethyan Copper, held several senior finance and treasury positions in global mining companies Newcrest and Newmont (NEM.ASX), and international investment banking roles with Bankwest, ANZ, Bankers Trust and Deutsche Bank.
Craig Wright (MSc MAusIMM)
Managing Director
Craig is the Founding Director of Barkly Rare Earths Limited. He brings extensive experience in corporate development and operational leadership within the global minerals industry. Previously, Craig served as Corporate Development & Strategy Manager and Chief Operating Officer at RSC, one of the world’s largest geological service providers. His career spans mineral exploration, commodity trading, technical services, manufacturing, and business consulting, giving him a broad perspective on resource sector dynamics. Craig also serves as a Non-Executive Director of Opaxe, an innovative SaaS company commercialising a proprietary database of curated mineral resource and exploration data for the global mining sector.
René Sterk (MSc FAusIMM CP(Geo) MAIG (RPGeo) MSEG MInstD)
Non-Executive Director
René is a Chartered Professional and a Fellow with the AusIMM, and a Member and Registered Professional Geologist with the AIG. He is a director of the international geological consultancy, RSC, and of Opaxe, an on-demand SaaS business leveraging its proprietary database of curated mineral resource data from the global mining sector. He was previously a director of the AusIMM (peak body for mining professionals with 13,000 members), director of Straterra (New Zealand’s industry lobby group and national voice for the natural resources industries) and ex-officio member of the JORC committee.
Gavin Beer (BSc FAusIMM CP(Met) MAICD)
Proposed Non-Executive Director
Gavin is a metallurgist with more than 35 years’ experience across the mining and processing industry in Australia and internationally. He contributes strong technical governance, metallurgical insight and practical project experience to the Board. A Chartered Professional and Fellow of the AusIMM, Gavin has held senior technical and operational roles with Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO), Arafura Rare Earths (ASX: ARU), Peak Rare Earths (ASX: PEK) and Neometals (ASX: NMT). Gavin is recognised as a Competent Person for JORC 2012 and as a Qualified Person for NI 43-101 reporting with respect to his metallurgical expertise.
Through his consultancy, Met-Chem Consulting Pty Ltd, he has supported numerous critical-minerals projects worldwide, including those for Meteoric Resources (ASX:MEI), RareX (ASX:REE), Commerce Resources (TSXV:CCE) and VHM Ltd (ASX:VHM). He also undertakes technical due-diligence assignments for engineering firms and financial institutions, providing independent assessments of project quality and development risk.
Matt Shackleton (B.Comm., FCA, MBA)
Non-Executive Director
Matt is an experienced ASX listed company executive and director, having held the position as Director, CFO and/or Company Secretary with Australian Wine Holdings Ltd (ASX: AWL), Mount Magnet South NL (ASX: MUM), Arunta Resources Limited (ASX: AJR), Bannerman Resources Limited (ASX: BMN), Canyon Resources Limited (ASX: CAY) and APC Minerals Limited (ASX: APC) and adjunct company secretary for iiNet Limited (ASX: IIN). Matt has operated in senior financial roles with London based investment bank DRCM Global Investors, Advance Funds Management (Westpac) and Skywest Airlines Ltd.
Richard Hall
General Manager – Exploration
Richard is an experienced mineral exploration and mining professional with 38 years in the global resources industry. He has diverse commodity exposure and extensive experience in sedimentological and structural basin analysis, remote sensing image analysis, field mapping, geophysical interpretation, geological modelling, drilling programmes, mineral title management and legal and technical compliance reporting. Throughout his career, Richard has held senior management and executive positions in major mining houses and junior mineral resource start-ups. As a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, he is a designated Competent Person for JORC and NI 43-101 reporting standards in several commodities.