Overview
True North Copper (ASX:TNC) is a responsible explorer, developer and producer of critical minerals.
Based in a tier-one mining jurisdiction (North Queensland, Australia), TNC is focused primarily on copper and cobalt, with its most significant projects – Mt Oxide and Cloncurry – located within the Mt Isa Inlier region, home to several world-class critical minerals projects.
The company’s global measured, indicated and inferred resources contain: 336,200 tonnes copper, 21,890 tonnes cobalt, 88,000 oz gold, 4.31 million ounces (Moz) silver.
TNC commenced trading on the Australian Stock Exchange mid-June 2023, following a reverse takeover merger with exploration company Duke Exploration in February 2023.
Management Team
Marty Costello - Managing Director
Marty Costello is recognised as one of Australia’s leading project development and sustainability strategists across the resource sector, with more than 20 years of professional experience.
After working for several companies and government departments (domestic and international) managing, developing and implementing environment, sustainability and risk (ESR) programs and policies he established his own environmental consultancy – Northern Resource Consultants (NRC).
In the space of nine years, Costello developed NRC into an industry specialist with more than 25 employees focusing on environmental management and sustainability solutions for the resource sector. NRC delivered agile, best practice ESR strategies and multi-disciplinary environmental and sustainability services for clients like Evolution Mining, Futura, Sojitz, Adani, Red River Resources, CU River Mining, and others.
In 2018, NRC was acquired by SLR, a global leader in environmental and sustainability solutions. The acquisition facilitated considerable additional capability and geographic coverage to SLR’s existing mining and minerals in Asia Pacific business. During his consulting life, Costello was retained by Evolution Mining over an eight-year period to provide strategic project development, ESG advice to the board and executive management team.
Costello holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (environmental management) and Diploma of Applied Science.
Peter Brown - Chief Operating Officer
Peter Brown has held senior management roles in the resources sector, both domestically and internationally, including recent positions at Round Oak Minerals and Diatreme Resources where he oversaw project development and operations. Brown has diverse experience and an impressive track record that demonstrates his ability to successfully deliver projects and foster positive relationships with all project stakeholders.
He has managed discovery programs for gold, copper and chromite in South America, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia, including government and community relations. He also drove improvements and provided training in mine geology, resource evaluation and mine technical services at prominent mines such as Mt Muro Gold Mine, George Fisher Mine and Peak Gold Mines. Additionally, Brown played a significant role in reviving abandoned satellite projects at Peak Gold Mines.
Other achievements include successfully re-permitting and constructing of the 1-Moz Toka Tindung Gold Mine in Indonesia as director of Indonesian companies and general manager at Archipelago Resources; leading the permitting, engineering redesign and construction of the 0.8-Moz Mt Carlton Gold Mine in Queensland; the successful development of Mt Carlton and Pajingo projects, which contributed to the establishment of Evolution Mining; and recommissioning and developing a number of mining projects in the Mount Isa and Cloncurry region.
Rajesh Padmanabhan - Chief Financial Officer
Rajesh Padmanabhan is a highly skilled and experienced CPA-qualified accountant with expertise across a myriad of financial operations. He has many years of corporate governance experience as an executive team member across a variety of roles including as company secretary of an unlisted public company.
Throughout his career, Padmanabhan has held key finance management roles in mining and construction companies, including Constance Iron, Tablelands Mining Group, Barrick Australia (Porgera Operations) and Mastermyne Group (ASX:MYE).
Padmanabhan has more than 30 years’ experience managing company-wide financial operations, implementing streamlined financial processes, ensuring tax compliance and conducting financial analysis to support decision-making. His commitment to delivering results and his ability to navigate complex financial landscapes make him an integral part of the True North Copper team.
Padmanabhan is also an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and recently completed a certificate in governance and risk management from the Governance Institute of Australia.
Sven Sewell - Sustainability & Net Zero Manager
Sven Sewell has over 25 years’ experience working in a range of environmental fields, including environmental consulting, environmental regulation and within the industry.
For the 15 years prior to joining TNC, Sewell held senior environmental positions at several operating mines across northern Australia. At those operations, he was generally the most senior environment, responsible for all aspects of permitting, compliance, rehabilitation and general environmental management. Sewell's experience in northern Australian mines includes several new and established gold, uranium and bauxite operations.
Sewell holds a BSc (with honours) in environmental science.
Michelle Ellis — Cloncurry Projects Exploration Manager
Michelle Ellis retains over 15 years’ mineral exploration, resource and mining experience predominantly in iron-oxide-copper-gold deposits and terrains across South Australia and Northwest Queensland.
Over the past 11 years, she has actively explored a range of commodities and deposit styles throughout the Mount Isa Inlier.
Ellis has an MSc in economic geology, MSc in environmental management and BSc in applied science - geoscience, and is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Rhonda Freeman - Group Manager (Human Resources)
Rhonda Freeman has more than 18 years’ experience attracting top talent, fostering employee development and helping organisations develop safe and supportive work environments. She has worked extensively across the resource sector, including for large national-wide drilling companies.
Freeman has worked for mining companies across a variety of geological settings including brown coal, black coal, uranium, mineral sands and oil & gas. She brings a diverse skill set specific to the resource sector, having worked across all commercial aspects of drilling operations including as an exploration manager.
Freeman has also developed a number of QA and HSE systems for different projects.
Figure 1. TNC's Cloncurry Copper Project (including current reserves) *see References 3 & 4.
Figure 2. Wallace North copper reserve and pit crest. The Wallace South Gold resource is included for reference.
