MATTHEW DORMAN
Company Executive & Project Manager
Nadadouro
Summary
A successful bilingual Company Director and Project Manager with wide international experience in the mining industry, specifically in engineering studies, project design, commissioning and plant operations. a successful project manager with over 30 years international experience in the M&M sector at operational, senior management and corporate level. Experience over full range of project management and strategic planning, from technical due diligence studies on behalf of financial institutions, through to EPCM’s, plant construction, operations and upgrade.
Overview
36
36
years of professional experience
5
5
years of post-secondary education
3
3
Languages
Work History
Founder and Managing Director
Scoria Environmental Ltd
London
07.2017 - 02.2021
- Founded UK regsitered private company to develop patented pyrometallurgical process to recover waste metals from refinery slag.
- Completed initial scoping and other optimisation studies resulting in an option being taken on the Minex Process commercialisation by a major multinational.the Minex Process.
- Scoria held the global licences for the process and is raised in excess of $6M to complete studies and evaluation of the market for the Minex Process.
- World Bank estimates there are several hundred million tonnes of this waste product globally which could be converted into secondary metal production. The Minex Process also decontaminates these waste dumps by removal of the toxic contents and furthermore produces a commercially viable by product. Process has attracted the interest of several major and mid cap companies including Penoles, Vale and Glencore.
General Manager: Americas
Arete Capital Partners
Melbourne
01.2017 - 12.2021
- Retained to identify and generate suitable natural resource opportunities for private equity group based in Melbourne, Australia.
- Focus on undervalued projects and operations with potential to generate significant Alpha value in short to mid-term.
- Successfully identified and submitted several targets which passed investment committee criteria and were further evaluated prior to bids being submitted.
Project Manager
Los Andes Copper Ltd
Santiago de Chile
01.2013 - 03.2015
- Headed multi-disciplined team in the development of Preliminary Economic Assessment and Pre-feasibility Studies, completed to NI 43-101 compliance.
- Identified improvements in project development schedule to minimise up front CAPEX.
- Developed alternative production schedules which reduced overall OPEX.
- Studies designed to maximise cashflow and NPV of project whilst maintaining a CAPEX profile which could be funded without extreme shareholder dilution.
Founder and Director
Videira Management
01.2006 - Current
- Formation of project management oversight and project consultancy to assist publicly listed and privately owned naturalresources companies develop and finance projects.
- Clients include AIM and TSX listed, entities, LSE main board companies and private clients.
- Work includes bank due diligence for large scale copper projects, Engineering studies, database construction and compilation, project development investment and strategic project investment and development opportunities.
- Provided full engineering and financial advisory service as required, meeting internationally recognised prescribed standards (JORC, NI 43-101)
- Focussing on maximising project value via NPV driven levers.
Regional Manager
Whittle Consulting Ltd
Santiago de Chile
10.2018 - 07.2020
- Under the proprietary Integrated Strategic Study software operated by Whittle Consulting, I contacted natural resource project and operations owners to explain the benefits the process brings to the asset.
- In general, studies have improved NPV by between 30 – 80%.
- Completed business development activities in Peru, Chile, and Colombia and full business chain optimisations for asset owners such as Capstone Mining: Santo Domingo (Chile), Barrick Gold: Cerro Casale (Chile), Rio Alto: La Arena (Peru), PanAust: Inca de Oro (Chile), Largo Resources: Maracas (Brazil), IAM Gold: Rosebel (Surinam), Mantos Copper (Chile).
- Further workshops / studies completed for Cerro Matoso (Colombia), Poderosa, Minera IRL, Cerro Verde (Peru) amongst others.
Technical Consultant
Compania Minera Nueva Ventura
London
02.2011 - 07.2014
- Retained to manage completion of Environmental Impact Assessment on the Santa Domingo Fe/Cu project.
- Santa Domingo was a historic underground and leach operation which recovered copper only during its life.
- Identified a significant iron resource in the waste dumps which was amenable to magnetic seperation and which could generate immediate cashflow for the recommissioning of the underground mine and plant.
- Led strategic review of the geological data for the project and identified potential for significant increase in reported resource.
- Negotiated contract for 3rd party small scale mineral extraction from the mine in order to reduce ongoing overheads.
- Managed development of engineering and financial studies to allow negotiations to be undertaken with lenders and strategic partners.
Project Manager
Cuprum Resources
Santiago de Chile
03.2010 - 03.2012
- Managed multi disciplinary group of contractors to complete all aspects of the PFS to prescribed NI 43-101 format; including resource estimate, mine plan, process plant options, infrastructure and financial analysis.
- Supervised independent environmental consultants in the production of required EIA to support project development.
- Project funding secured through Brazilian banking group.
Project Manager
Exeter Resource Corporation
Santiago de Chile
08.2012 - 07.2016
- Completed Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) and Preliminary Feasibility Studies (PFS) on a large copper / gold open pit and underground project.
- Studies included completion of 62,000 t/d gold oxide heapleach (100 Mt resource) and 150,000 t/d concentrator sulphide open pit options (1 Bt resource).
Estimated CAPEX $US 4.8 B - Developed with Sandvik Industries an inpit crushing and conveying option for waste transport increasing project NPV by approx $800 M.
- Managed multidisciplinary international consultants for both engineering and environmental impact assessment studies to NI 43-101 and natrional requirements.
- Managed independent consultants for site geotechnical and hydrological evaluation programmes and water supply studies.
- Managed development of power supply to FS level with third party consultants.
- Completed scoping study showing economic viability of the project at lower production levels.
- Subsequently completed an additional Preliminary Economic Estimate (PEA) to determine viability of combined heapleach and high grade underground operation.
- Company was subsequently acquired by a major mining operator and significant premium value to existing shareholders.
Project Manager
Frontier Mining Plc
London
01.2010 - 07.2011
- Development of a large, medium grade copper porphyry project located in NW Kazakhstan.
- Advising on financing routes and potential investment groups and secured strategic partnership with West LB to further develop funding options.
- Completion of PFS, review of drill programme, project development timeline.
Chief Operating Officer
Minex Technologies Ltd
London
06.2010 - 02.2012
- Initial scoping studies for patented innovative technology process designed to remove metals, currently classified as waste, from refinery and smelter slags.
- Worked with independent consultants to identify potential market and secure material for bench scale test programs to be completed.
- Samples from a limited number of slag dumps indicated a resource of several hundred million tonnes at commercially viable values.
- Studies indicated that the top 10 major refinery and smelter operators carried an annual environmental liability in excess of $10B to maintain these slag piles, this could be largely removed by the application of the process.
Director and General Manager
Chaarat Gold Ltd
London / Bishkek
01.2008 - 01.2009
- Part of the team for the initial IPO of the company to the LSE AiM market.
- Completion of all technical documentation to support the IPO in conjunction with independent consultants.
- Worked with team to define and further expand the mineable resource.
- Initiated baseline environmental studies as part of project development.
Project Manager
Monterrico Metals plc
London
04.2007 - 01.2009
- Managed multi disciplinary group of contractors to complete all aspects of the PFS to prescribed NI 43-101 format; including resource estimate, mine plan, process plant options, infrastructure and financial analysis.
- Supervised independent environmental consultants in the production of required EIA to support project development.
Estimated CAPEX $US 1.4 B. - Based on the results of the study, company was acquired by a major Chinese operator, the first such transaction completed in the AiM market.
Chief Executive Officer
Minco PLC, Orca Mining Ltd
London
01.2003 - 12.2005
- Secured several silver assets in Mexico with potential to provide early production and generate significant alpha value to shareholders.
- Raised approx £1 M private equity
- RTO’d into Minco PLC in 2004
- Completed the, Laguna project FS; raising £4 M in finance mainly from institutions to acquire additional silver assets in Mexico
- Secured letters of intent for the Laguna Project financing
- Managed multidisciplinary teams for development and execution of FS and project evaluations
- Increased company market capital 10 fold whilst CEO.
General Manager
Oxus Gold
London
08.2002 - 01.2004
- Managed 1.5 MT/a heapleach project through final financing.
- Managed EPCM and construction.
- Responsible for all legal, financial, environmental, and safety compliance of the company locally and internationally.
- Managed local office and multidisciplinary international staff of approximately 40.
Project Manager
Saudi Company, Precious Metals
Jeddah
03.2000 - 08.2002
- Process design of Bulghah 4.5 M t/a gold heapleach operation.
- Oversee completion of EIA by independent environmental consultants.
- In addition to managing the existing Sukyhabarat operation also managed EPCM of the Bulghah heapleach.
- Responsible for construction of project both in liaison with international EPCM, contractors and local suppliers.
- Project completed on time and within budget
- Additional key achievements/responsibilities included: Increased Sukhaybarat mill throughput 7% whilst reducing consumable costs by 10%.
Process Manager
Greenstone Minera de Honduras
Copan, Honduras
10.1998 - 02.2000
- Managed process EPCM and start up of 4.5 Mt/a gold heapleach ($100 M total investment)
- Project involved serious geotechnical and topographical issues.
- EPCM involved several international multidisciplinary consultants, and contractors.
- Additional key responsibilities were: Design for leachate drain and spray systems; Recruitment and training local labour force using self developed training modules.
Project Manager
Nelson Gold Ltd
London / Tajikistan
05.1996 - 10.1998
- Initially retained as independent consultant to perform technical audit of the project to secure bank financing, thereafter retained as project manager.
- Supervised testwork review and initial process design for bankable feasibility due diligence in order to convert the project from a flotation process to initial carbon in leach (CIL) oxide operation processing significant surface resource.
- All project engineering was completed as a series of EPC packages and managed on site by owner team.
- Managed owner team of approximately 60 ex pats and 200 local workers and up to 5 international contractor groups responsible for engineering packages.
- In-house designed mine plan.
- All procurement completed in house.
- Project successfully executed and completed and was first operation of its kind in the former Soviet Union.
Plant Metallurgist
Randfontein Estates Gold Mine
Randfontein
02.1987 - 02.1991
- Operational plant metallurgist at Randfontein Gold mines operation, processing underground gold ore from Cook mine and reprocessing large gold tailings dam.
- Shift operations as technical support to operational staff providing solutions and real time performance information.
- Transferred to construction team to convert part of the Cook plant operations from Uranium recovery to CIP gold recovery.
- Successful execution of the remit.
Senior Metallurgist
Morak S.A
Nouakchott
10.1993 - 07.1995
- Part of commissioning team for a 1,500 tpd gold reduction plant using ammonia leach technology.
- Provision of shift operation management.
- Operation of smelter and refinery for gold dore production.
- Liaison with local stakeholders.
Commissioning Manager
Plateau Mining Plc
Quito
07.1992 - 09.1993
- Part of commissioning and operations team for gold gravity and leach operation.
- Oversee implementation of process controls to optimise plant throughput and performance.
- Supervision of gold smelting and consigning to refinery.
- Provision of technical support for metallurgical problems within the plant; Budget planning; Operator training and assessment.
Education
MSc Chemical Engineering - Corrosion Protection in Offshore Installations
Robert Gordon's University
Aberdeen 10.1984 - 05.1986
Skills
Business process re-engineering
Advanced problem solving
Lean manufacturing and design
Project planning and development
Budgeting
Procedure development
Project estimation and bidding
Construction management
Commercial construction
Project Management
Team Bonding
Expense reports
Budget administration
Startups and turnarounds background
Staff Management
Strategic planning
Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, English
Performance Evaluations
Technical Support
Contract Management
Accomplishments
- Supervised team of 150 staff members.
- Documented and resolved project development and construction criteria which led to significant improvement in project NPV
- Achieved significant increase in operation profitability by completing Integrated Strategic Planning with accuracy and efficiency.
- Collaborated with team of multi disciplinary, multi national consultants in the development and construction of the Bulgah Project, the first gold heapleach in Saudi Arabia.
- Achieved investment criteria through effectively evaluating and analysing project opportunities for Arete Capital Partners, an Australian private equity group.
Timeline
Regional Manager
Whittle Consulting Ltd
10.2018 - 07.2020
Founder and Managing Director
Scoria Environmental Ltd
07.2017 - 02.2021
General Manager: Americas
Arete Capital Partners
01.2017 - 12.2021
Project Manager
Los Andes Copper Ltd
01.2013 - 03.2015
Project Manager
Exeter Resource Corporation
08.2012 - 07.2016
Technical Consultant
Compania Minera Nueva Ventura
02.2011 - 07.2014
Chief Operating Officer
Minex Technologies Ltd
06.2010 - 02.2012
Project Manager
Cuprum Resources
03.2010 - 03.2012
Project Manager
Frontier Mining Plc
01.2010 - 07.2011
Director and General Manager
Chaarat Gold Ltd
01.2008 - 01.2009
Project Manager
Monterrico Metals plc
04.2007 - 01.2009
Founder and Director
Videira Management
01.2006 - Current
Chief Executive Officer
Minco PLC, Orca Mining Ltd
01.2003 - 12.2005
General Manager
Oxus Gold
08.2002 - 01.2004
Project Manager
Saudi Company, Precious Metals
03.2000 - 08.2002
Process Manager
Greenstone Minera de Honduras
10.1998 - 02.2000
Project Manager
Nelson Gold Ltd
05.1996 - 10.1998
Senior Metallurgist
Morak S.A
10.1993 - 07.1995
Commissioning Manager
Plateau Mining Plc
07.1992 - 09.1993
Plant Metallurgist
Randfontein Estates Gold Mine
02.1987 - 02.1991
MSc Chemical Engineering - Corrosion Protection in Offshore Installations
Robert Gordon's University
10.1984 - 05.1986