Management Team

Terry Bates, MSc Geol, F.AusIMM
Managing Director

Over 50 years in the mineral industry in Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Vietnam and Mongolia also PNG, Fiji, Argentina and Malaysia. His experience covers magmatic nickel, alluvial, epithermal and orogenic gold, porphyry systems, coal and base metals.

Has been involved in re-development of Beaconsfield Gold Mine in Tasmania. The Martha Hill Gold Mine, Waihi NZ, set up and managed Pike River Coal Company in NZ, established and managed development of the Ban Phuc Nickel Mine in Vietnam up to feasibility stage, most recently managing the Gutain Davaa gold project in Mongolia. Was vice-president of the New Zealand Mineral Exploration Association from formation in 1981 until 1990 and then President until 1992. Has managed listings on the New Zealand, Australian and Canadian Stock Exchanges.

Bill Howell, BSc Hons Geol, F.AusIMM, F.SEG
Director

Bill has over 50 years experience in mineral exploration management, project evaluation and mine feasibility studies, concentrating mainly on Southeast Asia and the Pacific region.

He headed up overseas exploration for BHP, based in Papua New Guinea and Melbourne (1968-1981), and was Managing Director of Normandy and then Newmont exploration activities in Southeast Asia (1995-2003) based in Jakarta. During his time with BHP and Normandy, he led teams through the discovery and/or proving up of major porphyry copper and epithermal gold deposits in Papua New Guinea (Ok Tedi), Indonesia (Martabe) and Laos (Phu Kham and Houayxai).

Bill opened BHP’s first exploration office in Papua New Guinea in 1968, in East Malaysia in 1973 and in the Philippines in Manila in 1976, and Normandy’s first office in the Philippines in Davao in 1997. He served as a member on the Board of the Indonesian Mining Association while based in Jakarta and currently heads the Mining Working Group of the Vietnam Business Forum. Bill has also co-founded and listed junior technology and exploration companies on ASX and AIM, and has been a director and chairman of other junior companies listed on AIM and TSX.

Darryl Mapleson, BSc Hons Geol
Director

Darryl has over 35 years experience in the industry, initially as an exploration geologist with Dominion Mining and Reynolds (Aus). He then joined WMC and worked on grade control and mine geology in open pit and under ground mines.

In 2000 he joined Teck for 2 years at Hemlo Gold Camp in Ontario. Returning to Australia in 2003 he established BMGS a consulting practice providing professionals to the industry and consulting services for management of exploration programs, grade control, resource definition, feasibility studies and provision of independent reports for parties seeking Stock Exchange listing.

Darryl has provided services to clients in Canada, Australia, China, Finland, Laos, Mongolia, Philippines and Vietnam. BMGS Group includes ABIM Solutions a down hole directional drilling/geophysical surveying company, Terra Drilling and a small mining company focused on developing small open pit gold mines (BM Mining).

Steven A. Harnish, BSC Hons Geol’79, F.AusIMM, M.SEG, M.SGA
Chief Geologist

Steven has over 45 years’ experience with consulting groups in project generation, due diligence and exploration program design and management including supervision of general exploration programs involving mapping, trenching, drilling, air-photo and remote sensing interpretation, application writing and reporting. He has worked for clients in Canada, Australia, Southeast Asia and Southwest Pacific Islands.

As Vietnam Resources Exploration Manager (1994 to 2008), Steven was responsible for the day-to-day geological operations, managing a large local staff including >15 national & expat professionals. This work included site visits and evaluation of >1,000 prospects , generating >100 projects, writing ≈20 exploration applications and managing projects for Au-Ag epithermal (Xa Khia, North Quang Tri), Cu/Au epithermal-porphyry (Pu Sam Cap, Ming Luong, Tu Le), Sn-W-base metal skarn, greisen and sulphide (Nui Phao, Tin Truc) granitic deposits; Pb-Zn SEDEX, Mississippi Valley Type &replacement Pb-Zn-Ag (Tung Ba-Ta Pan, My Duc) sedimentary deposits; Cu-Zn-Pb VMS (Vietnam & Manitoba) and Ni-Co-Cu±PGE magmatic deposits and alluvial Au± diamonds±PGE deposits (Indonesia).

In Laos as Director & Chief Geologist Savitar Exploration (2012 to 2018) for epithermal-porphyry-skarn Cu-Au-Ag-Zn, phosphate & potash prospects/deposits and in Myanmar orogenic/lode Au (Yamethin District) and Kanbauk Sn-W deposit. He has worked on three major deposits, mapped the East Kentville tin base metal deposit in Nova Scotia; logged early drilling of Lihir epithermal gold in PNG; and pre-license exploration/application and recognition of Nui Phao tungsten bismuth fluorite deposit in Vietnam.