Almasar Minerals (ASX:AMK) has appointed Gökhan Yildiz as head of exploration as the Saudi Arabia-focused explorer seeks to scale its technical operations.
Yildiz previously served as regional exploration lead for Europe and the Middle East at First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM), where he led exploration activities across the region, including evaluating the Arabian Shield in Saudi Arabia.
Prior to First Quantum, he spent eight years with Teck Resources (NYSE:TECK) in roles spanning greenfields targeting, discovery, drilling, and resource evaluation.
Over his career, Yildiz has managed exploration portfolios worth more than US$30 million ($42 million) and led a major program in Türkiye that delivered 70km of diamond drilling over 18 months.
CEO Brock Salier says Yildiz is an ‘excellent’ fit for Almasar’s goals.
“[We were] looking for someone trained in the world’s leading exploration organisations, with direct discovery experience and a demonstrated ability to build and run large exploration programs. Gökhan delivers on all three,” Salier says.
“His philosophy of looking for the next mineral camp, rather than simply the next prospect, is how we think about Almasar’s opportunity in Saudi Arabia.
“Following our recent ASX IPO, backed by global resources funds, Gökhan’s background is an excellent fit as we build the technical and operational capability to match our ambition of becoming a much larger exploration company.”
Yildiz will report directly to Salier and assume overall responsibility for the company’s exploration programs.
Almasar Minerals is a mineral explorer focused on unlocking untapped gold and copper deposits within the Arabian Shield in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
Images: Almasar Minerals
