Kerim Sener
Managing DirectorKerim Sener
Kerim graduated from the University of Southampton with a first-class BSc (Hons) degree in Geology in 1997 and from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, with an MSc in Mineral Exploration in 1998. After working in gold exploration and mining in Zimbabwe, he completed a PhD at the University of Western Australia in 2004. Since then he has been responsible for the discovery of over 4.3Moz of gold (including gold equivalent) in eastern Europe. Kerim is also Non-Executive Chairman of ASX-listed Panther Metals Limited (ASX:PNT).
Kerim is a Fellow of The Geological Society of London, Member of The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, Member of the Chamber of Geological Engineers in Turkey and a member of the Society of Economic Geologists.
The Board considers that Kerim is not an independent Director by virtue of his executive role as the Company’s Managing Director.
Michael Atkins
Non-Executive ChairmanMichael Atkins
Michael brings over 35 years of global experience in restructuring, development, capital raising and financing for numerous successful public companies and has experience working in many countries including in Africa (including Botswana, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Cameroon, Djibouti, South Africa), and Europe.
Michael was founder and Executive Chairman of Gallery Gold Ltd and was responsible for Gallery’s acquisition of the Galane Gold Project in Botswana, which is also situated in the Zimbabwe Craton in which Ariana’s Dokwe Project also lies.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Western Australia and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
In the last 3 years, Michael was a Non-Executive Chairman of ASX-listed companies Castle Minerals Limited (ASX:CDT), and Legend Mining Limited (ASX: LEG), and Non-Executive Director of Australian listed companies SRG Global Limited (ASX:SRG), Memphasys Limited (ASX:MEM) and Warrego Energy Limited (ASX:WGO).
The Board considers that Michael is an independent Director
Michael de Villiers
Non-Executive Deputy Chairman and UK Company SecretaryMichael de Villiers
Michael qualified as a Professional Accountant with Ernst & Young in Cape Town. He gained his experience as Financial Manager at mining and chemicals operations in Botswana, Bulgaria, FSU, Ghana, Namibia and the United Kingdom. He was previously CFO of Eurasia Mining plc, Finance Director of Mercator Gold (now ECR Minerals plc), Oxus Gold plc and Navan Mining plc. He has over 30 years’ experience in the mining industry.
Michael is Chairman of the Audit Committee and serves on the Sustainability Committee. The Board considers that Michael is not an independent Director by virtue of being a Director of the Company for such a period that he is no longer considered independent from management.
William Payne
Non-Executive DirectorWilliam Payne
William studied Accountancy at Exeter University before training and qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in London. In 2003, he became a partner in top 20 accountancy practice Wilkins Kennedy LLP at their London office, which is now part of the Cogital Group.
William is Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and serves on the Audit Committee. The Board considers that William is an independent Director.
Chris Sangster
Non-Executive DirectorChris Sangster
Chris is a mining engineer with over 40 years’ experience in the mining industry. He has a BSc Hons in Mining Engineering from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College in London and a GDE in Mineral Economics from the University of Witwatersrand and is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining. Chris has extensive experience in gold, diamond and base metal production environments. He held positions of Vice President Mining Services at KCM PLC and Principal Mining Engineer for Australian Mining Consultants. He co-founded ASX / AIM listed Scotgold Resources and was its Managing Director following which he became a Non- Executive Director and Technical Consultant from late 2014.
Chris is Chairman of the Sustainability Committee and serves on the Remuneration Committee.The Board considers that Chris is an independent Director.
Nicholas Graham
Non-Executive DirectorNicholas Graham
Nick is a Chartered Geologist with 50 years’ experience in mineral exploration and mine development, mostly in Zimbabwe, with Falconbridge Exploration Inc, Kamativi Tin Mines Ltd and managing Cluff Resources PLC and Reunion Mining PLC. He pioneered heap-leaching in Zimbabwe and discovered and developed the largest gold mine in the country: Freda Rebecca. He co-founded Reunion Mining, discovered the Maligreen gold deposit and developed the Sanyati copper mine in Zimbabwe and Dunrobin gold mine in Zambia.
Nick joined the Board on completion of the Rockover Acquisition in 2024. The Board considers that Nick is not an independent Director by virtue of his substantial shareholding in the Company.
Andrew du Toit
Operations DirectorAndrew du Toit
Andrew has 30 years’ experience in the Zimbabwean mining industry in roles from project geologist to general manager. He began his career with the Zimbabwe Geological Survey (ZGS) and he has been a consultant to Independence Gold/Lonmin PLC and SRK and a manager for Reunion Mining PLC and Zimplats Limited (ASX: ZIM). Andrew has extensive operational experience in the gold, copper and platinum sectors.
Andrew joined the Board on completion of the Rockover Acquisition in 2024. The Board considers that Andrew is not an independent Director by virtue of his executive role as the Company’s Operations Director.
Simon Accomb
Chief Financial OfficerSimon Accomb
Simon is a Chartered Accountant and qualified Governance Professional with over 11 years' experience in the areas of accounting, external audit and corporate governance. Simon has a Bachelor of Commerce, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance & Risk Management and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and New Zealand.
Simon is currently a director of Consilium Corporate Pty Ltd, a corporate advisory firm based in Perth, Australia, that provides corporate and other advisory services to publicly listed companies.
Simon's appointment as CFO is a non-Board role.
Fatma Yildiz
General ManagerFatma Yildiz
Fatma is a Turkish national and has 13 years of experience in the mining sector in Turkey. She graduated from Cukurova University in 2007 with a BSc degree in Mining Engineering. In addition to being our General Manager, she is also responsible for managing the administrative and legal requirements of our exploration/operational licenses, applications and formal reporting for licenses.
Fatma is a member of the Chamber of Mining Engineers of Turkey, holder of a technical inspector certificate and an occupational health and safety certificate.
William Collett
GeologistWilliam Collett
William graduated from Southampton University with a 2:1 BSc (Hons) degree in Geology in 2023. Prior to completing his degree he worked across a variety of industries, including logistics, hospitality and health, acquiring a diverse range of practical and managerial experience. Before that, he was a Royal Marines Commando for six years, including overseas deployments in operational and training environments. He spent his school years at Falcon College in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and is bilingual in English and Shona.
Elif Ünal
Remote Sensing SpecialistElif Ünal
Elif graduated from Hacettepe University in 2003 with a BSc (Hons) in Geological Engineering and from Anadolu University in 2007 with MSc in Remote Sensing; Geographical Information Systems (GIS). She has worked with INTA Space Turk Company on satellite image processing and Pontid Madencilik as a data manager and deputy general manager. She is responsible for administrative and data management requirements of the Salinbas Project and contributes to the work conducted on our other projects as appropriate. She is a member of the Chamber of Geological Engineers of Turkey and has a safe driving certificate.
She holds a IHA0 drone pilot qualification in Turkey.
Mikail Mert Gümüş
GEOCHEMIST & DATABASE ADMINISTRATORMikail Mert Gümüş
Mert graduated from Ankara University with a BSc (Hons) degree in Geological Engineering. Simultaneously with Geological Engineering, he completed a double major in Chemistry with a BSc (Hons) degree. He is currently continuing his doctoral studies in the Department of Thermodynamics. As a geologist and chemist, he takes part in the research and development processes of our exploration projects. Mert works and supports the mineral exploration targeting programs with technologies such as drill core scanning, chemical analysis equipment, Portable XRF and Portable PPB. He assists by contributing to geological and chemical analysis reports, QA/QC reviews, field studies and other mineral exploration processes.
Mert, who also graduated from the Department of International Relations at the Open Education Faculty, is a member of the Chamber of Geological Engineers (JMO), Turkish Chemical Society (TKD) and Mining Geologists Association (MJD).
Ruth Woodcock
EXPLORATION GROUP LEADERRuth Woodcock
Ruth graduated from the University of Leicester with a BSc (Hons) degree in Applied and Environmental Geology in 2013. As Project Analyst, through geological, resource and financial modelling she is responsible for identifying new projects to add to our portfolio. Ruth was involved in bringing the Kiziltepe Project from exploration to production stage, working with Zenit as a Mine Geologist. Since 2021, she has been working with Ariana as a Resource Geologist and Project Analyst on a range of projects around the world, reporting in line with NI 43-101 and JORC standards. Ruth is bilingual in English and Turkish.
Ruth is a Chartered Geologist of the Geological Society of London (CGeol) and the European Federation of Geologists (EurGeol).
Mehluli Tshuma
GIS AnalystMehluli Tshuma
Mehluli graduated in 2004 with a Diploma in Geology from the Zimbabwe School of Mines. He also holds a certificate in Technical and Operational Surface Mining from University of Pretoria. He has experience in mineral exploration and mining in southern Africa. He has worked for companies such as Reunion Mining PLC, Lonmin PLC, Metallon Gold and Zimbabwe Platinum Mines. In Mozambique he worked for Rovuma Resources Limitada managing the geographic information systems across all projects and was part of an exploration team that led to the graphite discovery in Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique. Most recently, he has been working with Canister Resources in Zimbabwe, where he was responsible for geological database management, taking their gold project to a full feasibility study.
Mbongeni Ncube
Senior GeologistMbongeni Ncube
Mbongeni obtained a BSc in geology from The University of Zimbabwe (1995) and an MSc in Development Studies (2014) from Lupane State University focusing on Financing of Mining. He also holds a Diploma in Personnel Management (2006). His experience has been mainly in gold mining and exploration for various companies, starting at a How Gold Mine near Bulawayo in 1996. He joined Canister Resources and Rockover Resources, with an exploration focus in Botswana on copper. He joined Diorite Geological Consultancy in 2010 where he worked on various commodities including gold, coal and limestone. Mbongeni re-joined the team at Dokwe in 2021 as a senior geologist in charge of exploration and prefeasibility work. Mbongeni is now involved in all exploration work on the Dokwe project as a senior geologist. Mbongeni is fluent in English, Shona and Ndebele languages.
Edmore Manyika
Project CoordinatorEdmore Manyika
Edmore has over 25 years’ experience in mineral exploration and administration. He graduated with BSc (Hons) in Library and Information Science and MSc in Business Administration from Zimbabwe Open University. He also holds a certificate in Open Pit Mine Design and Optimization from University of Pretoria and a Diploma in Information & Technology. Edmore has worked with Canister Resources in Zimbabwe since 2000, responsible for geological database management across all projects and was part of the team that discovered Dokwe Gold Project and carried out initial modelling of Dokwe. As project coordinator he is responsible for managing the administrative and legal requirements of exploration/operational licences and formal reporting for licences, and representing and liaising with local stakeholders to provincial level.
Trevor Masuka
Junior GeologistTrevor Masuka
Trevor graduated with a BSc in Applied Geology from Midlands State University in 2025. Since graduation he has worked as an assistant geologist at various exploration projects in Zimbabwe, and is now part of our field team at Dokwe. He is involved in all exploration work, with a focus on our drilling programmes. Trevor is fluent in English, Shona and Ndebele languages
Mentor Demi
Managing Director (Western Tethyan Resources)Mentor Demi
Mentor is an exploration and resource geologist with 19 years of experience across Eastern Europe. He is a certified professional geologist, registered by the European Federation of Geologists (EFG), holds a BSc in Geology, and is an active member of the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) and Society of Professional Scientists of Sweden (Naturvetarna). His early career commenced with the United Nations. Between 2007-2014, Mentor worked with several TSX listed junior companies, such as Lydian International Ltd. in Kosovo and Armenia and Tigris Resources (now Royal Road Minerals, TSX-V listed) in Turkey, operating in the roles of exploration and resource geologist on epithermal, intrusion related copper-gold and carbonate replacement deposits. In 2014, Mentor established his own consulting company, Taurus Field, through which he offered a wide range of exploration and resource geology services for clients operating in Africa, the Americas and Europe.
Until recently, Mentor was President of a Canadian private company Via Egnatia Resources Inc, a Ni-Co focused exploration company with projects in Kosovo.
Peter van der Borgh
Managing Director (Venus Minerals)Peter van der Borgh
Peter is a corporate geologist who has been instrumental in the discovery and development of greenfields and brownfields gold and base metals deposits in Australia, Ireland and Turkey. As Technical Director of ASX-listed African and South American focused uranium and specialty metals company Globe Uranium, Peter was instrumental in the discovery of the major Kanyika niobium deposit in Malawi.
In 2006 Peter formed and listed ASX gold company Cortona Resources, where as Managing Director he oversaw the development of the Dargues Gold Mine in NSW, securing the first gold mining permit in the State for more than ten years before completing a successful merger in 2013. The mine is currently under construction.
More recently, Peter was Managing Director of ASX-listed European focused base-metals company Zinc of Ireland, during which time a maiden JORC resource was published at the Kildare Zinc Project, and several significant discoveries were made.
Peter has overseen successful capital raisings totalling more than A$40 million, and a development financing with an international bank for more than A$40 million.
Peter is passionate about exploration and mining, and the roles that safe practice and technological advancement play in safeguarding the workforce and environment to deliver the highest levels of efficiency and sustainability.
Mathew Cooper
Senior Geophysics AdvisorMathew Cooper
Mathew has over 20 years experience working as a geophysicist for airborne and ground acquisition contractors and mining and exploration companies, including Normandy Exploration, with the last 13 years as a consultant, manager and director largely with Core Geophysics. He has been involved in a number of exploration successes whilst working on a range of projects, both within Australia and internationally. He has worked on a large variety of commodities including gold, iron ore, base metals, diamonds, uranium and oil and gas plays. Mathew is based in Perth, Western Australia.
Mathew is a member of the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Society of Geophysicists, and the Australian Institute of Geoscientists.