Management Team
Brandon Macdonald – CEO and Director
Born in Yukon to a mining family, Brandon Macdonald began his career in the industry as a teenager staking claims and in exploration camps. Following a Bachelor of Science in geology from the University of British Columbia, he pursued exploration geology worldwide. In 2007, he graduated with an MBA with distinction from Oxford University and subsequently joined Macquarie Bank in London, England, where he focused on project finance and risk management for mining. Since returning to Canada, Macdonald has been a principal of, or consultant to, numerous junior mining companies and joined Fireweed as a Founder and CEO in late 2016.
James Scott – Senior Vice-president, Projects
James Scott holds an M.Sc. in geology from the University of Alberta and a B.Sc. in geology from Carleton University. He is a professional geologist with two decades of experience in mineral exploration and development. He has worked extensively with several leading mining players and junior exploration companies and has been associated with federal government surveys.
Pamela O’Hara – Vice-president, Sustainability
Pamela O’Hara holds an M.Sc. in environment and management from Royal Roads University and a B.Sc. in oceanography and biology from the University of British Columbia. She has over three decades of experience in approval acquisition for mining and infrastructure projects, and has a deep understanding of the regulatory landscape. She has previously worked with several companies, including Goldcorp, BHP, Yukon Zinc, Newmont, Canadian Pacific Railway, and others.
Cindy Chiang – Chief Financial Officer
Cindy Chiang is a chartered accountant and a chartered professional accountant. She holds a BBA in accounting and finance from Simon Fraser University. She has experience in public practice and industry and has previously worked with KPMG.
Jack Milton – Vice-president, Geology
Jack Milton holds a Ph.D. in geological science from the University of British Columbia, an M.Sc. in mining geology, and a B.Sc. in applied geology from the University of Exeter. He is a professional geologist and a fellow of the Geological Society, London. He has over 14 years of experience working in the Northwest Territories, Yukon and British Columbia.
Moira Cruickshanks – Vice-president, Technical Services
Moira Cruickshanks holds an M.Sc. in geology from Imperial College London and an M.Sc. in geological sciences from the University of British Columbia. She has over 14 years of experience in mineral exploration in North America and has worked in the Northwest Territories, Yukon, British Columbia, the U.S. and Mexico.
Kelly Bateman – Vice-president, Studies
Kelly Bateman holds a B.Sc. degree in geological sciences from Queen’s University and currently serves on the board of Commander Resources. She is a professional geologist with more than 12 years of experience in the exploration sector with a focus on projects in Northern Canada. She has been associated with the Wellgreen Deposit in the Yukon, JDS Energy & Mining, and Goldcorp’s Coffee Project.
Andrew Crook – Vice-president, Operations
Andrew Crook is a professional engineer with a Bachelor of Applied Science in mining engineering from the University of British Columbia. He has over 10 years of experience in various domains, such as operations, project management and engineering, and has worked with leading mining companies and junior developers.
Alex Campbell – Vice-president, Corporate Development
Alex Campbell holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in mining engineering from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile and an M.Sc. in mineral and energy economics from the Colorado School of Mines. He has over 10 years of experience in mining operations, mine finance and capital markets, having worked with Antofagasta Minerals and CIBC’s investment banking team.
Penny Johnson – Corporate Secretary
Penny Johnson graduated from Brigham Young University and is a Governance Professionals of Canada member. She has over two decades of experience in various domains, including corporate governance, compliance, board, and committee matters, disclosures, and corporate transactions.
John Robbins – Chairman
John Robbins is a professional geologist with over 35 years of experience in the mining sector. Currently, he is the chairman of the company and K2 Gold, director of Elemental Altus Royalties, and advisor to Kodiak Copper, ValOre Metals and Prospector Metals. He has been involved in several discoveries, including the Coffee Gold deposit, Yukon, Three Bluffs gold deposit, and others.
Adrian Rothwell – Director
Adrian Rothwell is a chartered professional accountant in British Columbia and a chartered accountant in New Zealand and Australia. He holds a degree in business administration from Macquarie University. He has over 25 years of experience in the mining sector. He is currently CEO of Angold Resources and has worked as CFO for many companies.
Peter Hemstead – Director
Peter Hemstead is a chartered professional accountant with a B.Sc. in economics from Western University. He has over 25 years of rich experience in various finance domains. He has been associated with Bluestone Resources and Capstone Mining.
Marcus Chalk – Director
Marcus Chalk is a chartered financial analyst and holds a BBA degree from Western University. He has over 25 years of experience in the metals and mining industry, and also has rich experience in the investment banking area, having worked with Macquarie North America, CIBC and Scotiabank.
Jill Donaldson – Director
Jill Donaldson is a corporate and securities lawyer with rich experience in various domains, including M&A, capital markets, strategy, governance and compliance. She holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. She has been associated with Prospera Credit Union, Canuck Place Children’s’ Hospice, and Great Bear Royalties Corp.
Patrick Downey – Director
Patrick Downey holds a B.Sc. degree in Engineering from Queen’s University. He has over four decades of experience in the resource sector, including operations, construction, and development. He is the CEO of Orezone Gold and has previously worked with Elgin Mining, Aura Minerals and Viceroy Exploration.
Tim Oliver – Technical Advisor
Tim Oliver holds a B.Sc. in environmental engineering from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. He is a professional engineer with over 45 years of mining industry experience as an environmental engineer, staff engineer and independent consulting engineer.
Laurie Reemeyer - Technical Advisor
Laurie Reemeyer holds a B.E. in minerals process from the University of Queensland and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. He has over 30 years of experience in the mining industry, having previously worked with Zinifex and Amec Foster Wheeler.
Mark Smith – Technical Advisor
Mark Smith holds an M.E. degree in civil and geotechnical engineering from the University of Nevada. He is a professional engineer with over 45 years of experience in geotechnical engineering, focusing on mine waste and infrastructure. He has over 10 years of experience in the Yukon region and was associated with the Coffee Gold and Eagle Gold projects.
Stephen Morison – Technical Advisor
Stephen Morison holds a M.Sc. in geology from the University of Alberta and a B.Sc. in geology from Queen’s University. He is a professional geologist with 45 years of experience in geoscience, environment and regulatory areas. He has rich leadership experience in environmental assessment, climate change, approvals, and First Nations engagement and consultation.
David Bigelow – Technical Advisor
David Bigelow holds a B.Sc. in geology and earth science from Western University. He has over four decades of experience in operations, corporate management, and consultancy in the mining sector.
Steve Nicol – Technical Advisor
Steve Nicol holds a B.E. in mining engineering from the University of NSW, Australia. He has over 35 years of experience in the mining sector in operations, development and various corporate roles.
Footnotes and References
* References to relative size and grade of the Mactung resources and Macpass resources in comparison to other tungsten and zinc deposits elsewhere in the world, respectively, are based on review of the Standard & Poor’s Global Market Intelligence Capital IQ database.
1For details, see https://www.sedarplus.ca/ Fireweed Technical Report titled “NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Macmillan Pass Zinc-Lead-Silver Project, Watson Lake and Mayo Mining Districts Yukon Territory, Canada” filed on https://www.sedarplus.ca/ on February 23, 2018, and Fireweed News Release dated January 10, 2018
2For details, see Fireweed news release dated June 13, 2023 “Fireweed Metals Announces Mineral Resources for the Mactung Project: the Largest High-Grade Tungsten Deposit in the World” and the technical report entitled “NI 43-101 Technical Report, Mactung Project, Yukon Territory, Canada,” with effective date July 28, 2023
This article was written in collaboration with Couloir Capital.
Figure 1 – First material being tipped into the crusher during commissioning (Photo 26 November).
Figure 2 – Crushing and screening plant commissioning (Photo 26 November).
