Directors and Management

Mathew Longworth

Non-Executive Chair

Appointed 31 July 2020

Mathew Longworth is a geologist with 33 years’ experience across exploration, project evaluation/development, operations and corporate management. He previously held roles as Exploration Manager, COO and CEO/Managing Director with Australian listed companies, and mining analyst with a boutique investment fund. In his senior corporate roles, he led multidisciplinary project evaluation and development teams.

He has invaluable experience on the key Ardea exploration and development projects, being the KNP nickel-cobalt-scandium deposits and Bardoc Tectonic Zone gold.

Mr Longworth is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Andrew Penkethman BSc, FAusIMM, MAIG

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer

Appointed 1 April 2019 (CEO), 5 February 2020 (MD)

Andrew Penkethman is a resources sector executive and geologist with over 28 years’ experience in the resources industry. His technical skills include project evaluation, early stage and near mine exploration, resource development, feasibility study management, permitting, stakeholder engagement and mine development across open pit and underground operations within Australia and overseas. Commodities experience includes gold, base metals, battery minerals and energy commodities over a range of geological settings. Mr Penkethman’s technical expertise is complimented by over 15 years in executive roles with a strong corporate focus including strategic partner processes, joint venture management, financial modelling, and project acquisition and divestment. Mr Penkethman has ASX, AIM and TSX equity markets experience.

Mr Penkethman holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wollongong, is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists.

Ian Buchhorn BSc (Hons), Dip Geosci (Min Econ), MAusIMM

Executive Director

Appointed 17 August 2016

Ian Buchhorn is a mineral economist and geologist with over 40 years’ experience. Prior to listing Heron in 1996 as founding Managing Director, Mr Buchhorn worked with Anglo American Corporation in southern Africa, and Comalco, Shell/Billiton and Elders Resources in Australia, variously as a corporate and research geologist, as well as setting up and managing Australia’s first specialist mining grade control consultancy. Mr Buchhorn has lived and worked in the Eastern Goldfields for over 20 years undertaking exploration, project evaluation and development. He has operated as a Registered Mine Manager in the Kalgoorlie Goldfields.

Maree Arnason BA, FAICD

Non-Executive Director

Appointed 10 July 2023

Maree Arnason has over 35 years’ experience across the natural resources, energy and manufacturing sectors with companies including BHP, Carter Holt Harvey, Svenska Cellulosa AB and Wesfarmers. She has worked across commodities including copper, gold, iron ore, timber, coal, mineral sands, nickel, and natural gas and gained expertise in strategy, sustainability, risk, corporate affairs, stakeholder relations, transformations, divestments and integrations.

Ms Arnason is a NED of ASX-listed Gold Road Resources and Chairs their Risk and ESG Board Committee, a NED of ASX-listed VHM Limited and a Co-founder and Director of Energy Access Services, which operates an independent Western Australian-focused digital trading platform for wholesale gas buyers and sellers. Ms Arnason serves on the Board of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), as a WA Division Director, is a member of their National Corporate Governance Committee and is a WA Division Councillor.

With a significant record of serving on Not-for-Profit Boards, Ms Arnason recently retired as Chair of Juniper, one of Western Australia’s largest aged care community benefit organisations and finished her term on the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s Corporate Governance Consultative Panel.

Ms Arnason holds a Bachelor of Arts from Deakin University and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD).

Michael Rodriguez

Executive Director

Appointed 19 December 2024

Michael Rodriguez is a qualified metallurgist with over 30 years’ experience in the design, construction, commissioning and operation of complex hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical operations in Australia, Europe, North and South America. This includes the successful optimisation of Murrin Murrin, Australia’s largest and longest-running nickel laterite high pressure acid leach (HPAL) operations producing refined nickel-cobalt.

Sam Middlemas BComm, PGrad DipBus, CA

Company Secretary

Appointed 20 October 2016

Sam Middlemas is a Chartered Accountant and the principal of a corporate advisory company and has over 30 years of experience providing financial and corporate secretarial services. He has previously held a number of Senior Executive and Board positions in ASX listed resource companies, following experience in the Australian audit division of Pricewaterhouse including secondments to Canada and the United Kingdom. His expertise includes corporate secretarial, financial accounting, financial and management reporting in various industries including mining expertise, initial public offerings, capital raisings, corporate governance and various corporate transactions.

Mr Middlemas holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Western Australia, a Graduate Diploma in Business (Accounting) from Curtin University and is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.

Rebecca Moylan BBus(AccFin), CPA, FFINSIA, GAICD

Chief Financial Officer

Rebecca Moylan is an experienced CFO with expertise in financial and corporate management, accounting, project financing and contract negotiation. During her career in the mining industry, she has spent nearly 12 years in various senior roles. This has included positions as CFO and Company Secretary of several ASX-listed companies.

Ms Moylan holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Finance), is a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA), a fellow of Financial Services Institute of Australasia and a Graduate Member of Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Alex Mukherji BSc (Hons), MSc, MAIG

General Manager – Land Access

Alex Mukherji has over 25 years’ experience in the exploration and mining industry in Europe and Western Australia, commencing her career as a geologist then moving into land access, native title, Mining Act advice and tenement management. This experience includes extensive geological and environmental compliance reporting; drafting and negotiating Native Title, access and commercial agreements and assessing business development opportunities. Alex also acts as Ardea’s corporate representative with stakeholders including State and Commonwealth agencies.

Alex holds a BSc (Hons) in Applied Geology, an MSc in Mining Geology and is an alumna of the Camborne School of Mines.

Matthew Read BSc, BEng (Hons), MBA

KNPL Project Director

Matthew Read has more than 25 years’ experience in project and commercial leadership roles. Most recently, Mr Read was General Manager Lithium Projects at Neometals Ltd (ASX:NMT) managing various international lithium studies and joint venture relationships. Prior he was Head of Projects at Tianqi Lithium Australia overseeing the development of its lithium hydroxide facility in Western Australia which included recruiting the owner’s team, negotiating and sourcing all major utilities contracts, development of policies, procedures, systems and commissioning.

Mr Read’s prior experience also includes Manager Contracts at the $10.5 billion Roy Hill Iron Ore Project where he was the Owner’s Team Contracts Manager for the Head EPC Contract. The project was successfully completed and won numerous awards, of particular note being the Australian Engineering Excellence Awards (WA Division) for Resource Development.

He also brings extensive nickel laterite and sulphide experience from project and commercial leadership roles whilst working at BHP/WMC over an 11 year period.

His project development, commissioning, commercial, team building and joint venture management expertise in complex major resources projects makes him ideally suited to leading the development of the KNP Goongarrie Hub.

Mr Read holds a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) both from Monash University and a Masters of Business Administration from Latrobe University.

Mike Miller BAppSci (Met), MBA, MAusIMM

KNPL Principal Process Engineer

Mike Miller is a metallurgist whose track record includes over 35 years’ operating and developmental experience in hydrometallurgical operations. His primary focus has been in the area of nickel-cobalt production. In addition to his background in technical operations management, Mr Miller has a track record in process design and development. He brings a keen insight into the integrated nature of these operations.