AREL’s Board and Management team has significant expertise and experience in the rare earths and mining exploration industries.
The Board
Professor Dudley J Kingsnorth
Non-Executive Chairman
M.SC, Metallurgy and Business Management University of Aston in Birmingham
B.Met (Hons), Metallurgy Sheffield University
Dudley Kingsnorth is recognised as a world authority on the rare earths market and rare earths project development. A metallurgist with more than 50 years’ experience in the international mining industry, Dudley has held positions in operations, project development, marketing, technical consultancies, and business development.
Dudley is currently a Professor at the Western Australia School of Mines at Curtin University and provides rare earths advice to a number of governments worldwide.
Pauline Carr
Non-Executive Director
BEc, Australian National University
MBA, University of Adelaide
Fellow of Australian Institute of Company Directors
Fellow of Governance Institute of Australia
Pauline Carr is a highly-experienced executive with extensive commercial, management, compliance, and governance expertise as well as over 30 years directorial experience in the resources industry with both Australian and international listed companies.
Pauline has extensive board committee experience, specifically audit and risk committees. Ms Carr currently serves as the Chancellor of the University of South Australia, the Chairman of the Board of National Pharmacies, a Non-Executive Director of Highfield Resources Limited (ASX:HFR), Chair of the Minerals and Energy Advisory Council, and as an Independent Director of the Bayeux Foundation.
Bryn Jones
Non-Executive Director
BAppSc University of South Australia
Masters Mining and Mineral Engineering UNSW
Bryn Jones is an Industrial Chemist with extensive evaluation, development and operational experience in the minerals industry across various commodities.
Bryn specialises in development of extractive metallurgical solutions for economic development. Bryn is the Managing Director of PhosEnergy Limited, Technical Director of Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE) and a non-executive director of DevEx Resources Ltd (ASX: DEV).
Rick Pobjoy
Acting Managing Director
BSc. Applied Geology RMIT
Rick Pobjoy is a Geologist with more 25 years’ experience in the mining and minerals exploration industry.
Rick has extensive experience in the definition, development, and production from sedimentary hosted deposits across a number of commodities, having successfully delivered projects for VHM Exploration, Murray Zircon and Heathgate Resources.
The Management team
Damien Connor
CFO/Company Secretary
BCom (Finance and Accounting) Flinders University
Damien Connor is an experienced Company Secretary and CFO, with more than 20 years’ experience in finance and accounting, including 15 years in the mining and mineral exploration industry.
Damien is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia (Chartered Accountant) and Governance Institute of Australia (Chartered Secretary) and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Damien has been providing Company Secretary and CFO services to several ASX Listed and unlisted entities since 2011.
Jacqui Owen
Manager Community and Land
BA Hons Environmental Studies
Jacqui Owen is an experienced professional with a background in stakeholder engagement, and environmental and regulatory compliance. These skills have been developed over the last 16 years working in oil and gas exploration and development across Australia. The commitment to positive regional development is a priority for Australian Rare Earths and Jacqui is the key contact for community engagement and negotiating land access.
Jacqui lives in the Naracoorte region so is deeply connected to the community and personally invested in driving a positive outcome for the region. She currently serves as the Vice President for the Limestone Coast Ladies CWA and sits on the board of the not-for-profit Limestone Coast Training Centre.
Chris Cockburn
Exploration Manager
BSc. (Hons) Geology University of Manitoba, Canada
Chris Cockburn is an experienced mineral explorer with 18 years’ experience exploring for a broad range of commodities across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG).
Chris has experience in target generation, project evaluation, and resource delineation across a variety of commodities delivering exploration programs and resources for Xstrata, Iluka Resources, and multiple ASX/TSX listed explorers.