About Us

Robin E. Goad, M.Sc., P.Geo.

President & CEO

Robin is a Professional Geoscientist with more than 35 years of experience in the mining, exploration, and mineral development industries with a focus on critical minerals mining and processing.  Robin is a graduate of Western University with an M.Sc. in Geology.  Prior to founding Fortune Minerals in 1988, Robin worked for large mining companies including Noranda and Teck, and as a consultant to the mineral resource industry.

Patricia Penney, B.Comm (Hon. Accounting), CPA, CA

Interim CFO

Patricia is the Interim Chief Financial Officer of Fortune. Prior to June 2020, Patricia served as the Company’s Controller. Patricia is a Chartered Professional Accountant with 25 years of accounting and audit experience. Prior to joining Fortune, she worked at Caceis Canada ltd., an asset servicing and fund administration company, as a Senior Manager.

David Massola, BAcc

Vice President Business Development

David graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in accounting before embarking on a twenty-year career with BHP Group Limited and its predecessors, the world’s largest mining company by market capitalization. This included work at the corporate office in San Francisco, the Escondida Copper Mine in Chile, the Island Copper Mine in British Columbia, and the Ekati Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories (NWT), the latter for which he was CFO of BHP Diamonds Inc. David left BHP to become Vice President and CFO of DeBeers Canada Corporation, which was developing two diamond mines in the NWT and Ontario at the time. His experience includes roles as Senior Vice President of Finance and CFO of GlobeStar Mining Corp., where he was involved with the financing, construction and operation of a copper-gold mine in the Dominican Republic, and for which he also negotiated its subsequent sale. He was also President and CEO of Continental Nickel Ltd., which was developing a mine in Tanzania, and led the negotiations for its subsequent takeover. David also served as Vice President, Business Development, and later as CEO of GoldQuest Mining Corporation that is developing a gold mine in the Dominican Republic, and he was Fortune’s Vice President of Finance and CFO from 2016 to 2020.

Richard Schryer, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Vice President of Regulatory & Environmental Affairs

Rick is an aquatic scientist with more than 30 years of experience in mine permitting, environmental assessments, environmental studies and monitoring. Prior to Fortune, he worked with Golder Associates as an Associate involved in a number of mines, including the Diavik and Snap Lake diamond mines in the Northwest Territories.

Alex Mezei, M.A.Sc. P.Eng.

Chief Metallurgist

Alex is an independent metallurgical consultant with 40 years of international process engineering experience, providing general and specialized services in metallurgical process flowsheet testing, design, development, derisking and implementation. Alex has been involved in process economics assessment for several projects. Specific technical expertise includes hydrometallurgy, liquid-solid separation, rheology, and mineral processing. Projects and commodities include extraction of cobalt, lithium, nickel, graphite, manganese, as well as base, rare and precious metals. In addition, Alex provides specialized expertise in recycling, oil sands and carbon capture projects. Alex is a Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.

David Knight, B.A., LL.B.

Corporate Secretary

David was a partner with WeirFoulds LLP, a Canadian law firm, until December 2021, at which time he retired. David specialized in all areas of securities law, including public and private financings, take-overs, stock exchange listings, mergers and acquisitions and regulatory compliance. He has extensive experience in the resource sector and acted for both investment dealers and resource companies. David also serves as a director of Freegold Ventures limited and Gold Reserve Ltd. David is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and the Canadian Bar Association.

Troy Nazarewicz, CIM, CPIR

Investor Relations Manager

Troy has over three decades of capital markets experience that includes a career as an investment advisor and portfolio manager with MacDougall, MacDougall & MacTier Inc. and work as a Business Development Manager with a design and marketing firm.

Mahendra Naik, B.Comm., CPA, CA, Mississauga, Ontario

Chairman, Director

Mahendra is a Chartered Professional Accountant and was one the founding directors and key executives in starting IAMGOLD Corporation, a TSX and NYSE listed gold mining company. As Chief Financial Officer from 1990 to 1999, he was involved in the negotiations of the Sadiola and Yatela mine joint ventures with Anglo American and the US$400 million in project debt financings for development of the mines. In addition, he was involved in more than $150 million in equity financings including the IPO for IAMGOLD. Mahendra is currently the Chief Executive Officer of FinSec Services Inc., a business advisory company. In addition, Mahendra is a director and member of audit and compensation and risk/control committees of Goldmoney Network Limited, a TSX listed company.

Robin E. Goad, M.Sc., P.Geo., London, Ontario

President, CEO & Director

Robin is a Professional Geoscientist with more than 35 years of experience in the mining, exploration, and mineral development industries with a focus on critical minerals mining and processing.  Robin is a graduate of Western University with an M.Sc. in Geology.  Prior to founding Fortune Minerals in 1988, Robin worked for large mining companies including Noranda and Teck, and as a consultant to the mineral resource industry.

John McVey, M.A.Sc., P.Eng, ICD.D, Burnaby, British Columbia

Director

John is an engineering and construction industry executive whose career spans more than 35 years in the mining, energy, and power industries in Canada as well as internationally.  John was CEO of Procon Mining & Tunneling (2015-2024) and, upon retirement, now serves as an independent consultant in the energy and resources sector.  Prior to Procon, John held executive and senior management positions with Bechtel, Bantrel, SNC-Lavalin and Kilborn Engineering.  John has B.A.Sc. and M.A.Sc. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and is a licensed professional engineer in Ontario and Alberta. He has completed the Queen’s Executive Development Program and the Institute of Corporate Directors, Directors Education Program, obtaining the ICD.D designation from the Institute. John also serves as a Director of Arizona Gold & Silver Inc. and TRX Gold Corp.

Edward Yurkowski, B.Sc., P.Eng., Vancouver, British Columbia

Director

Edward retired as the Chief Executive Officer of Procon, which in addition to investing in resource companies is a full mining service provider through Procon Mining & Tunnelling Ltd. and served as a director and consultant for Procon until April 2018. Edward has been involved in the mining and civil contracting industries since 1966, including ownership and management of two large mining construction contracting companies. Edward received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1971 from the University of Saskatchewan and currently serves as a director of Imperial Metals Corp.

David Ramsay, B.A., Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Director

David Ramsay is the president of 2586825 Alberta Limited (Ramsay Consulting), a government relations and management consulting firm and serves as the CEO for the Techiq Group of companies located in Deline, NWT. Mr. Ramsay has consulted and represented a number of companies including, AltaGas, the Dexterra Group of Companies, E.Gruben’s Transport, Northwind Industries and Wildstone Construction. Mr. Ramsay held public office in the NWT for 20 years, he previously served as a member of the Executive Council of the Government of the Northwest Territories from 2011 to 2015, holding portfolios including Attorney General/Minister of Justice; Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment; Minister Responsible for the Northwest Territories Business Development Corporation; Minister of Transportation; and Minister of the Public Utilities Board. In his capacity as Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay led trade missions to China and Japan and focused on mining, diamonds, oil and gas and tourism.

Glen Koropchuk, B.Sc., M.Sc., Summerland, British Columbia

Technical Director

Mr. Koropchuk is a mining engineer with over 35 years of global, multiple commodity, operations, project development, government and Indigenous relations and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) experience, predominantly with Anglo American & De Beers, achieved through multicultural exposure in Canada, South America, Southern and West Africa, Russia and the UK.

Prior to his retirement in 2016, Mr. Koropchuk was COO of De Beers Canada and responsible for delivering safe, operational excellence for the Snap Lake and Victor diamond mines in Canada’s north. Notable, he also led the permitting, Indigenous engagement, and project management for the Gahcho Kue diamond mine in the Northwest Territories that was finished on budget and on time, in 2016. Glen is now an independent consultant and currently serves as a Director of other listed and private companies including Atrum Coal where he has been a Director since 2020 and Chairman since 2021.