Management Team

SENIOR MANAGEMENT 

 

Dirk Treasure, Chief Executive Officer, BSc (Mineral Science) (Murdoch), MAusIMM, MAICD

 

Mr. Dirk Treasure is a metallurgist with both technical and corporate experience. He has a Bachelor of Mineral Science from Murdoch University in Perth and has been an active member of the mining industry since 2006. He is a member of AusIMM and AICD and was recently awarded the Komatsu-sponsored Emerging Leader of the Year Award by Australian Mining Monthly. Mr Treasure spent seven years in novel metallurgical process design employed by service providers and mining companies directly. He has designed, built, and managed pilot plants across various deployment scales for hydrometallurgical, pyrometallurgical and electrolytic technologies. His technical experience includes working as the Principle HPAL/Leach Metallurgist for Ravensthorpe Nickel Operations and, during his time as Operations Manager of ABR Process Development, he oversaw development of technology from conceptual design to commercial reality.

 

Prior to joining Chrysos, Mr Treasure worked within the financial and commercial side of the mining industry. During his time in corporate finance at RFC Ambrian, he oversaw Chrysos’ seed capital raising and company formation. He also managed the transaction for acquisition of the underlying PhotonAssay technology from CSIRO. He has joined Chrysos Corporation as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, a role he has held since the company began operations in January 2017. 

 

Dr James Tickner, Chief Technology Officer, BA Hons (Physics), D.Phil. (Particle Physics) (Oxford)

 

Dr Tickner is the lead inventor of the PhotonAssay™ technology and a co-founder of Chrysos. He holds a BA in Physics and a D. Phil in Particle Physics, both from Oxford University, UK. He completed his studies in 1997 and moved to Australia the following year. He spent 18 years with the Commonwealth Industrial Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). As team leader, he supervised the research efforts of scientists, students and engineers developing novel X-ray and nuclear technologies to solve challenging measurement and imaging problems for the minerals and security industries.

 

Dr Tickner has a wide range of nuclear expertise, including advanced radiation transport theory, computer modelling, a strong experimental background, and familiarity with custom-designed readout electronics, digital data processing and software design. He played a key role in building links with industry, and successfully oversaw the development, installation, and operation of numerous technologies for industrial clients. Key achievements include the development and commercialisation of the CSIRO Air Cargo Scanner, the invention and implementation of new X-ray fluorescence and diffraction systems for trace element and mineral analysis, and development of the Chrysos PhotonAssay® technology.

 

Dr Tickner is a keen advocate for bringing together researchers from different disciplines, countries and particularly from industry and academia, and to this end helped found the Global Young Academy, the Australian Early-Mid Career Researchers Forum and the Australian Science and Innovation Forum. He continues to recruit and supervise the next generation of research students and postdoctoral fellows. He has received numerous awards for his work including two CSIRO medals, the Australian Academy of Science Frederick White prize, the Eureka Prize for Science in Support of Defence or National Security and an ADC Leadership Award. 

 

BOARD 

 

Rob Adamson, Chairman, BE (Mech) (UWA), BE Hons (Ag) (Melb), MBA (AGSM)

 

Mr Adamson is Managing Director of RFC Ambrian Limited, which was established in Australia in 1985 and expanded to a global footing in the late 1990’s. It provides corporate advisory services across a broad spectrum of resources companies, ranging from juniors through to multinationals.

 

RFC Ambrian has a significant office in London, with excellent connections in the resources field. RFC Ambrian became the first non-UK-based AIM Nominated Advisor, and for over 10 years has been a leading and highly regarded NOMAD and broker on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. Mr Adamson is Chairman of the Minerals Industry Taskforce.

 

Ivan Mellado, Director, Graduate AICD, Senior Assoc. FINSIA, Master of Law (IP), B. Business (Marketing)

 

Mr Ivan Mellado is a specialist in technology commercialisation, new venture development and strategic intellectual property management. He works with entrepreneurs in high growth companies, universities and scientific institutions to build business opportunities around novel technologies and intellectual property. Mr Mellado is well regarded for negotiating technology licenses, divestitures, and acquisitions, leading and financing early stage commercialisation ventures, and supporting early stage/growth companies with capital raising and M&A expertise.

 

With 25 years’ experience, Mr Mellado has developed executive and board level expertise across several sectors. He is currently Managing Director of Mellado & Co Pty Limited, Executive Chairman of Nimblic Pty Limited and a senior corporate advisor with Fawkner Capital Management Pty Limited.

 

Brett Boynton, Director 

 

Mr Boynton is the co-founder and Managing Director of Signature Gold Limited. Highly qualified in the field of finance, Mr Boynton has an international investment banking background with UBS in London and New York, and Credit Suisse in Australia. He has raised capital for a number of energy and resource companies, both at IPO and on the secondary markets, and managed acquisition, joint venture and divestiture of a number of projects and assets. Mr Boynton is currently Chairman of London listed Stratmin Global Holdings Plc and sits of the board of a number of private companies.

 

Mr Boynton has an undergraduate degree in Economics and Accounting and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He is also a CFA Charter Holder.  

 

Dr Leong Mar, Director, BSc (Hons), PhD

 

Dr Mar is an accomplished technologist, innovator, and entrepreneur with a unique combination of commercial and technical experience, gained over 20 years from research organisations, tech start-ups, small businesses, and one of the world’s iconic science corporations.

 

Currently Dr Mar is Commercialisation Manager for CSIRO. Prior to that appointment, Dr Mar was a co-founder and COO of Instrument Works, and founder and director of Red Planet Innovation. Other roles include director and head of technology for EarthSafe Australia; technology manager of Redfern Polymer Optics; and founder and director of Materials Innovation and Technology. He has also served as business development manager for National Nanofabrication Facility, and manager business and scientific services and adjunct associate professor at the University of NSW. For a number of years, Dr Mar was employed by DuPont in a variety of roles. Whilst there, he was awarded the DuPont Six Sigma Green Belt, and completed the Leadership Excellence Program.

 

Eric Ford, Director, Graduate AICD, BSc (Mining Engineering), MSc (Management Science)

 

Mr Ford has led, built, and turned around complex businesses encompassing large workforces in diverse geographies, cultures, currencies, and languages.  This has included all lifecycle phases from feasibility through to closure and final rehabilitation in highly regulated and unionized environments across three continents. With a deep passion for mentoring and coaching, his reputation is one of creating high performing businesses founded on a culture of achievement, accountability and trust that span a diversity of cultures, customs, generations, skills, practices and beliefs. He is considered an influential executive team member and thought leader in the global industry with previous participation in the Coal Industry Advisory Board to the International Energy Agency as well as current local industry associations including the Minerals Council of Australia.

 

Mr Ford’s prior experience includes numerous executive roles within globally recognised mining companies during a career that spans almost 50 years in the industry.

 

ADVISORY BOARD 

 

Dr Nick Cutmore, Chairman of Advisory Board, PhD (Physics) (UNSW), FTSE

 

Nick Cutmore completed a Postdoctoral appointment in minerals analysis before joining CSIRO in 1983 as a Research Scientist. His research interests have predominantly been in technologies for the on-line analysis of materials in mining, oil production, power stations and mineral processing. 

 

He has occupied a number of senior management roles in CSIRO and is currently a Research Director in CSIRO Mineral Resources where he initiates and shepherds the development and commercialisation of novel measurement systems for global impact in industry. He has a career interest in the commercialisation of technology and has been involved in the creation and oversight of spin-off companies and Joint Ventures that have launched CSIRO technology in the global market. He has overseen the development and managed the commercialisation of the CSIRO Air Cargo Scanner technology with Nuctech Company Limited (Beijing). This role has involved a wide appreciation of security needs and interaction with global end users of security technology for airport and border applications.

 

Career achievements include that he is a co-recipient of the; 1992 Australia Prize for outstanding achievement in science and technology; 2009 Australian Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Support of Defence or National Security; 2006 CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement in regard to the Air Cargo Scanner development; 2011 The Australian Innovation Challenge (winning team in the Mining and Energy Category). Dr Cutmore was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 2003.

 

Anthony McLellan, Member

 

An experienced Australian company chairman, Mr Anthony McLellan lived abroad for more than twenty-five years. A proven leader, he has been the president and CEO of major international corporations overseas. He has lived in eight countries and has transacted business in more than twenty.

 

Mr McLellan served as the President and CEO of the predecessor of Barrick Gold, now the world’s largest gold producer. Since returning to Australia, Mr McLellan has been appointed chairman of several listed public company boards Including Felix Resources, Norton Gold Fields, and Elementos Limited. He is currently a director of Signature Gold Limited.

 

Mark Allaby, Member

 

Mr Mark Allaby is responsible for the Financial Services industry sector at IBM Australia and New Zealand. With over 28-years’ experience in Europe, North America and Australia, Mr Allaby has worked in an executive capacity across the financial services industry. As a senior partner in consulting, with both Accenture and PWC, and as corporate senior executive in industry, he has had extensive experience setting strategy, exploiting technology, leading organisations through large scale organisational change, and managing risk.