Allied Critical Metals (CSE:ACM) has appointed Marco Mendicino as a strategic advisor of the company, bringing decades of business, legal and political expertise.
Mendicino is a senior counsel and strategic advisory to the firm at Cassels, Brock & Blackwell. He is also a former federal prosecutor, Cabinet Minister and Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Mark Carney.
He led the Prime Minister’s Office through a national election and one of the most ‘significant’ transitions of government in recent decades, advancing major projects legislation, working with premiers and Indigenous leaders, and closely advising the Prime Minister while at the White House, NATO and G7.
Elected three times as the Member of Parliament for Eglinton-Lawrence, Mendicino served in Cabinet as Minister of Immigration and Minister of Public Safety and chaired the Five Eyes on behalf of Canada.
Mendicino says Allied Critical Metals tungsten assets in Portugal are strategically located in a NATO member state and have historically been important assets from a global security perspective.
“Seeing these past-producing mines come back into production will be a major development from a NATO security perspective,” he says.
“We will work closely with all stakeholders to ensure these assets are developed for the benefit of Portugal and its allies.”
As previously reported, Portugal’s mining history dates back to the Roman era.
As of December 2025, mining production has risen 14.6% compared to the same period last year, as reported by Trading Economics.
According to MinEx Europe, Portugal’s mining sector has a market size of €580.1 million ($971.19 million) as of 2024 – ranking eighth in Europe for revenue.
Allied Critical Metals is a Canada-based mining company focused on advancing and revitalising the Borralha Tungsten Project and the Vila Verde Tungsten Project in northern Portugal.
Borralha is one of the largest undeveloped tungsten resources within the European Union and benefits from a favourable environmental impact declaration.
Tungsten is designated as a critical raw material by the US and EU due to its strategic importance in defence, aerospace, manufacturing, automotive, electronics and energy applications.
Currently, China, Russia and North Korea account for 87% of the global tungsten supply and reserves.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Allied Critical Metals
