About Gippsland Critical Minerals
Gippsland Critical Minerals has been established to develop a high-grade rare earths and critical minerals ore body in East Gippsland.
GCM is jointly-owned by Australian-owned REZir Ltd and Appian Capital Advisory, a leading investor in critical minerals projects around the world. Appian is bringing its expertise, funding, and experience to the Fingerboards Project with a staged equity investment of over $150 million.
Appian has a track record of investing in high-quality projects around the world, including rare earths, potash, gold, copper, nickel, cobalt, lead, zinc and mineral sands. Appian’s strategic investments have consistently supported projects from inception to successful production and rehabilitation, underscoring their commitment to responsible development of minerals projects.
GCM Team
Director
Tim O'Donnell
Tim is Vice-President at Appian Capital Advisory, based in Perth. He has extensive corporate advisory and project finance and was formerly Director, Mining and Metals Investment Banking for UBS Australia.
Tim holds a Bachelor of Commerce (University of WA) and Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accounting (CA ANZ).
Director
Benjamin Muston
Ben is Senior Vice President of Appian Capital Advisory LLP based in London. He has over a decade of experience in portfolio management in the resources industry including Peak Rare Earths and Appian Clean Energy Solutions.
Ben holds a dual Masters degree in Metals and Energy Finance from the Royal School of Mines and Imperial College Business School, London, and a Masters in Physics from the University of Bristol.
Director
Neil O'Loughlin
Neil is a highly experienced geologist and resources executive having worked in the minerals industry for over 35 years, including as a consultant on emerging mineral sands and rare earth projects. He is a Director of REZir Pty Ltd and Minhub Operations Pty Ltd.
Neil has been involved with the Fingerboards Project since 2013, advancing it from exploration through to feasibility.
Chair
Brad Pettersson
Brad is also the Chairman of Australian-owned REZir Ltd and brings to GCM over 25 years of experience as an senior advisor to the mining industry in financial strategy, mergers and acquisitions. Brad has been based out of Singapore for the past 20 years working on projects across various global jurisdictions.
Brad commenced his career with Andersen in Sydney and then EY working within their corporate and international tax practice specialising in tax law and commercial transactions cross border. He then relocated to Jakarta with Andersen and was heavily involved with MNC’s in the mining and energy space.
GCM Board
Community Manager
Janet Robertson
Janet is Community Manager at Gippsland Critical Minerals, managing a wide range of local business and engagement initiatives. This includes the GCM Community Grants Program and participating in local business and community groups such as Gippsland Regional Opportunities for Work (GROW) program and the Committee for Gippsland.
Previously, Janet worked on a range of major projects within Gippsland with a focus on local procurement and benefit sharing.
Nursery Manager
Murray Holland
Murray is Nursery Manager at Gippsland Critical Minerals where he is leading the identification and production of a diverse range of native grassland seed stocks for GCM’s mine rehabilitation program. He has a wide range of experience, initially in the Australian Army and subsequently in mineral exploration, landholder liaison, community engagement, environmental monitoring and field archaeology.
Murray is committed to the East Gippsland community and is a life member of the RSPCA, a local school board member, and involved in a variety of local clubs and associations.
Consultant
Paul Gibson-Roy
Paul Gibson-Roy is a restoration ecologist specialized in conserving, restoring and managing species-rich native grasslands and grassy woodlands.
In 2019 he joined Gippsland Critical Minerals to oversee rehabilitation strategies for the Fingerboards project which included the ambitious goal to restore ~200 ha of nationally listed grassy woodland to parts of the post-mined landscape. This work also involved developing significant seed production capacity to supply restoration.
Advisor
Paul Quirk
Paul is a partner at Lionhead Resources where he is responsible for originating new investment opportunities and building and maintaining investor relations.
Paul has more than 15 years of private equity and operational experience in mining and other industries including with Canada’s first rare earths producer Vital Metals where he is a Director.
Chief Executive Officer
Michelle Wood
Michelle is CEO of Gippsland Critical Minerals is leading a significant re-scoping of the Fingerboards Project including a major commitment to improved community engagement.
She was previously director of consulting at strategic advisory and public affairs consultancy Bondi Partners. Formerly Michelle was Acting Group General Manager Corporate Affairs at AGL and has held corporate affairs leadership roles at News Corp Australia, Uber, and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.