Board of Directors
Miles Thompson BSc (Hons), FIMMMPosition: Chairman and CEO
Miles Thompson, a geology graduate of the University of Bristol (UK), is the founder of Lara Exploration and has over twenty-five years experience working on natural resource projects in South America and around the globe, including precious and base metals, industrial minerals, oil and gas and renewable energy. Prior to founding Lara in 2006, Miles was Manager of Business Development for South African gold miner, Gold Fields Ltd, where his responsibilities included working on joint ventures and acquisitions in the Americas, Africa and Eurasia. Miles is also the co-founder of Reservoir Capital Corp. (REO.V), a renewable energy developer and mineral exploration business based in southeast Europe.
Andre Gauthier
Position: President & Director
Andre Gauthier has over 30 years experience in the mining exploration industry. He has a very high reputation as an international explorationist, and had expertise in South America. Previously, Mr. Gauthier headed Cambior's operations in the Andes and Peru for 9 years and participated in the discovery of their "La Arena" gold deposit, among multiple other successes in acquisitions, discoveries and developments of precious metal and base metal projects. Mr. Gauthier started his career as project geologist with Sequim, then Falconbridge Inc. for 6 years where he was involved in the Lac Short gold mine discovery. He joined Noramco Inc. in 1986 as Exploration Manager, and in 1989 became International Exploration Manager for Cambior.
Mr. Gauthier was a key component in the creation and implementation of the Peruvian Stock Exchange, and is broadly experienced in managing a public company focusing on mineral resource exploration. He has been a director of the Quebec prospector association, and the Peruvian mining society, as well as president of the exploration and investment committee.
Adrian Calvert
Position: Director
Mr. Calvert is a lawyer and financial adviser with over 15 years of legal and commercial development experience with natural resource companies, and is the founder of WindRose Capital Ltd., an advisory company, which provides development and project finance advice for energy, infrastructure and natural resource projects in emerging markets. Previously he co-founded EuroVentures, a development company in Brazil which originated, structured, raised capital and invested in early stage projects in mining, biofuels and renewable energy. His experience as a lawyer has been in the energy and natural resource/project finance practice areas with Clayton Utz in Australia and Clifford Chance in the United Kingdom and Brazil. Mr. Calvert holds a bachelor of arts/bachelor of law from the University of Queensland and an MBA from Insead business school.
Michael Winn
Position: Director
Mr. Winn is currently President of Terrasearch Inc., a private consulting company that provides analysis on mining and energy companies. Prior to forming his own company in 1997, Mr. Winn spent four years as an analyst for a Southern California based brokerage firm where he was responsible for the evaluation of emerging oil and gas and mining companies. Mr. Winn has worked in the oil and gas industry since 1983 and the mining industry since 1992. Mr. Winn is a director and V.P. of Corporate Development for Quest Capital Corp (TSX: QC) and a director of several mining companies that are involved in mineral exploration in Canada, Latin America, Europe and Africa. Mr. Winn has completed graduate course work in accounting and finance and received a B.S. in geology from the University of Southern California.
Mr. Byron King
Position: Director
Mr. King is both a geologist and lawyer by training. He currently writes about energy and mineral development issues for an international audience through two major publications of Agora Financial LLC, “Outstanding Investments” and the “Energy and Scarcity Investor”. Byron worked previously for the Gulf Oil Company and has followed oil and minerals industry developments for over 30 years. Byron’s career path also took him into the U.S. Navy, both on active duty and in reserve duty, including participation in numerous large technology development programs. During the 1990s and 2000s, Byron engaged in a vigorous private law practice. Byron holds degrees from Harvard, the U.S. Naval War College and the University of Pittsburgh.
Narinder Nagra CGA
Position: Director
Mr. Nagra has worked in the financial accounting industry since 1990 and is currently the Treasurer of Quest Capital Corp., a public company, the shares of which trade on the Toronto, AMEX and AIM stock exchanges. Mr. Nagra was Corporate Controller for Canico Resource Corp., (TSX: CNI) supporting the exploration and feasibility of the Onça-Puma nickel laterite deposit in northern Brazil, until that Canicos' takeover by CVRD in late 2005.
