Catherine McLeod-Seltzer
Chair
Catherine McLeod-Seltzer is a leader in the minerals industry, recognized for her financial expertise, access to capital and ability to create growth-focused companies that generate significant shareholder value. Catherine has helped raise over $600 million in working capital for mining exploration in the past 20 years and been directly involved in more than $4 billion in corporate transactions. She has founded, stewarded and directed numerous successful mining ventures in addition to Bear Creek Mining, including Arequipa Resources, Francisco Gold, Miramar Mining, Stornoway Diamonds, Peru Copper and Lucara Diamond. She attributes the success of these companies in large part to her partnership with outstanding geological and corporate teams, a pattern repeated at Bear Creek.
Catherine was named “Mining Man of the Year” by The Northern Miner in 1999; given the “Award for Performance” by the Association of Women in Finance in 1997; positioned on the Financial Post’s “Power 50”; has received the “Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Award” and was named one of “100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining” in 2013 by Women In Mining (UK). In addition to her position as Chairman of Bear Creek Mining, Catherine is the Chairman of Kinross Gold Corporation and a director of Lucara Diamond and Flow Capital Corp.
Eric Caba
President and Chief Executive Officer, Director
Eric Caba is the President and CEO of Bear Creek Mining, having joined the Company as VP Project Delivery in 2018. Eric has over 25 years’ experience in the mining industry across the Americas and Europe. Prior to joining Bear Creek, Eric served as the Vice President, South America Business Unit for Hudbay Minerals Inc. where he was intimately involved in the construction of the Constancia mine in Peru. He played a key role in the design and development of the business processes and operational preparations for Constancia, focusing on productivity, efficiency and cost control, and he coordinated implementation of these processes and preparations through all levels and stages of the mine construction. Prior to his tenure at Hudbay in Peru, Eric held operations management positions at various mining operations in Canada, Europe and the US. Eric holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Idaho.
Andrew Swarthout
Director
Andrew Swarthout is a recognized leader and mineral explorer with an extensive history of ore deposit discoveries and project acquisitions in the Americas. With a vast breadth and depth of experience in mineral exploration in Peru, Andrew has taken an active role in promoting environmental stewardship, good governance and foreign investment in the country’s mineral industry.
Prior to founding Bear Creek Mining in 2000, Andrew was Vice-President of Exploration for Southern Peru Copper during which time he was responsible for the discovery of the Shahuindo and Los Chancas deposits and significant reserve expansions on the company’s two porphyry copper deposits as well as initiation of the acquisition of the Tia Maria copper deposit. Prior to this, he was the exploration manager (Mexico) for Kennecott Minerals (now RTZ) where he contributed to the discovery and expansion of a number of precious metal deposits.
Kevin R. Morano
Director, Compensation Committee Chair, Audit Committee Chair
Mr. Morano is the Managing Principal and founder of KEM Capital LLC, a private equity and management advisory firm that invests in and advises emerging and startup companies in the mining, medical and other industries. His global financial executive expertise is a valuable asset to Bear Creek, as is extensive experience in the mining industry.
Kevin enjoyed a highly successful 21-year career at ASARCO Incorporated, a global copper mining company and specialty chemicals and aggregates producer that was acquired by Grupo Mexico in December 1999. At ASARCO, he served in various senior executive capacities including Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and ultimately President and Chief Operating Officer. His major accomplishments included managing the completion of an $800-million (U.S.) financing program for a Peruvian subsidiary and completing the public listing of Southern Peru Copper Corporation on the New York Stock Exchange. Following his tenure at ASARCO, Kevin was the Chief Financial Officer and subsequently Senior Vice President for Marketing and Business Development at Lumenis Ltd., a laser and light-based technology company specializing in medical devices for aesthetic, surgical and ophthalmic applications.
Kevin holds a B.Sc. in Finance from Drexel University and an M.B.A. from Rider University. He also serves as a director of Golden Minerals Company.
Alan Hair
Director, Operations, Safety and Sustainability Committee Chair, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Chair
Alan Hair is a mineral engineer and senior executive with over 40 years of experience in the mining and metals industry. Mr. Hair is the former President and CEO of Hudbay Minerals Inc., a company he joined in 1996 as a senior operations manager and at which he served in a series of progressively senior roles culminating in the position of President and CEO from 2016 to 2019. During his tenure at Hudbay, Mr. Hair oversaw the successful acquisition, construction and development of the Constancia Mine in southern Peru. His areas of expertise span all aspects of mining operations and management including engineering and operations, business development, finance, marketing, environment, health and safety, risk management and legal and regulatory matters. Mr. Hair holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mineral Engineering from the University of Leeds and the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Sandra Daycock
Director
Sandra Daycock is Vice President, Corporate Development at Methanex Corporation where she is responsible for leading the development of Methanex’s major capital projects and other initiatives to grow company value. Prior to her current role, Sandra held positions as CFO and later CEO for Great Panther Mining Ltd., where she led the company’s strategic planning, financing, and corporate restructuring initiatives, as well as the divestiture of the Company’s silver assets in Mexico. Sandra has 30 years of professional experience in a broad range of disciplines including corporate development, corporate finance, strategy, treasury management, accounting, financing, investor relations, and corporate restructuring. During her career she has led or been directly involved in multiple financing transactions including public bonds, equity, bank credit, project financing and offtake loans. Ms. Daycock graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Master of Arts in Economics. She also holds a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) designation from the Chartered Professional Accounts of British Columbia.
Susan Toews
Director
Susan Toews is General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Equinox Gold Corp. where she is responsible for day-to-day legal advice and support for all areas of Equinox’s business including commercial negotiations, dispute resolution and regulatory compliance. Susan has over 20 years of experience in a variety of public, private and regulatory settings. Prior to joining Equinox in 2018, Susan worked as in-house counsel at numerous public mining companies and was Senior Legal Counsel at the British Columbia Securities Commission where she was involved in developing local and national rules focused on corporate governance practice and disclosure. She is well-versed in the legal and compliance aspects of mining in Canada, USA, Mexico and other South American jurisdictions. Susan holds Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Bachelor of Laws degrees and has been a member of the Law Society of British Columbia since 1994.
Zoya Shashkova
Chief Financial Officer
Zoya Shashkova has 25 years of consulting and finance executive experience, spanning audit and consulting, tax structuring, risk management, reporting, disclosure and mining finance. Most recently she was the CFO of EnviroGold Global, a mining technology company engaged in reprocessing of mining tailings. Prior to that she was the Treasurer for Torex Gold Resources, a mid-tier Canadian gold producer, where she raised over $1B in debt and equity capital to support ongoing operations as well as long-term strategic initiatives. Ms. Shashkova previously served as CFO for UraniumOne’s operations in Central Asia, where she provided leadership in all areas of business and financial management, including strategic planning, performance measurement, debt financing, accounting, international tax structuring and risk management. She has also held senior leadership positions with Deloitte and E&Y. Ms. Shashkova holds an MSc in Biology and Chemistry, an MBA in Banking and Finance, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA, US, Maine) and is an ICD.D certified director, Institute of Corporate Directors.
Brian Peer
Chief Operating Officer
Brian Peer is a mining professional with over 37 years of technical and managerial experience at mining operations both in underground and open pit operations in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Brazil and the United States. Brian served as Mine Operations Manager of Jervois Global’s Idaho Cobalt Operation from 2021 to 2023, and was Vice President Operations, Mexico and Peru for Great Panther Limited from 2017 to 2021 in which position he was accountable for operations including underground and surface production, safety, maintenance, processing facilities, staffing, and the integration of operations. Prior to Great Panther, Brian held operations management positions at numerous other firms, in increasingly senior positions from the mid-1980s onward ranging from Mine Supervisor through Operations Manager, General Manager and Country Manager. He is a high-performance, hands-on executive focused on operational excellence, strategic planning, health and safety, change management, leadership and mentoring. Brian earned an Honors B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Texas, El Paso in 1986.
Andres Franco
Vice President, Corporate Development (Peruvian Subsidiaries)
Mr. Franco is responsible for Bear Creek’s Social and Environmental programs and community relationships. He is a Graduate of Administration with an educational emphasis on economics, biology, chemistry and medicine, and for more than twenty years has applied his knowledge and skills to a wide variety of industries including civil construction, fisheries and ports, energy and foreign trade. Mr. Franco is a creative problem-solver who is consistently able to find innovative strategies and solutions to solve direct real-world issues and build respectful social relationships. His model of Environment and Social governance for the Corani project, which emphasizes sustainable, culturally-appropriate, and locally-driven community growth and development, is highly successful and has been cited repeatedly by high-ranking government officials as a template for responsible mine development.
Barbara Henderson
Vice President, Corporate Communications and Corporate Secretary
Barbara Henderson is a geologist-turned-investor relations professional, with over 25 years of experience designing and delivering effective investor relations programs and producing informative and engaging shareholder communications for mineral exploration and development companies. Aside from her role as Bear Creek Mining Corporation’s Vice President, Corporate Communications, Barbara is heavily involved in corporate governance and regulatory matters pertinent to public mining companies, and has a special interest in corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues. Barbara holds a B.Sc. in Earth Sciences from the University of Waterloo, an M.Sc. degree in Economic Geology from the University of Alberta, and is a registered Professional Geologist.
Donald Mc Iver
Vice President, Exploration and Geology
Donald Mc Iver is a geologist with over 35 years of international experience managing production geology teams and directing advanced exploration and development teams in Latin America and elsewhere. He has served in senior roles, primarily in Peru, for international and Latin America-focused mining and exploration companies and consulting firms, including Barrick Gold, Ausenco, Palamina, Mineral IRL, and others. Mr. Mc Iver holds a MSc degree in Exploration and Economic Geology from Rhodes University in South Africa and is a Fellow of both the SEG & AusIMM, a registered and recognized Qualified Person (as such term is defined in National Instrument 43-101) for more than 15 years, and a past member of the SEG Board of Trustees.