Encounter Resources (ASX:ENR) has announced board and management changes as it advances its niobium‑rare earth elements and copper‑gold portfolio across Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Simon Hay transitions to non‑executive chairman, Will Robinson moves to managing director and CEO, and Jardee Kininmonth has been appointed chief development officer to progress the Aileron Niobium Project, located in Western Australia’s West Arunta Province.
The changes reflect Encounter’s dual focus on advancing Aileron towards production while conducting one of the largest copper‑gold exploration campaigns this year in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Robinson says moving Aileron towards production is the immediate priority.
“Encounter is uniquely positioned by combining a high‑quality niobium development project with a large copper‑gold project pipeline primed for the next discovery,” Robinson notes.
Hay brings extensive experience in project development and mine operations, particularly in integrated critical minerals projects with downstream processing and specialty marketing.
“The scale and quality of what we’re building at Aileron in the West Arunta is rare for a company at our stage,” Hay says.
Aileron hosts an inferred resource of 120 million tonnes (Mt) @ 0.77% niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5), containing a ‘high‑grade’ resource of 26Mt @ 1.7% Nb2O5. The company is conducting a 70,000m drilling campaign targeting step‑out resource expansion and newly identified targets.
The copper‑gold portfolio includes the Tyrell Project in Western Australia’s Paterson Province, which features near‑surface JORC copper oxide resources of 2.9Mt @ 0.79% copper. Encounter also maintains a farm‑in agreement with South32 (ASX:S32) at the Jessica Copper Project in the Northern Territory.
The board and management changes take effect from 1 September 2026.
Encounter Resources is an Australian exploration company focused on advancing critical minerals and copper‑gold projects.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Encounter Resources
