Impact Minerals’ (ASX:IPT) Managing Director and founder Mike Jones has stepped down from his role for health reasons after spending the last 20 years with the company.
Jones will continue to support the company in an advisory role through this transition, which came into place last Friday 25 September.
He founded the company in 2006, listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in November of that same year, leading the company from inception to its current position.
Jones began his career as a gold geologist, training under WMC Resources (formerly known as Western Mining Corporation) as an exploration geologist from 1988 to 1994.
WMC Resources was described as a major global and Australian mining company, which started a major gold revival through its inception in the 1930s, before BHP (ASX:BHP) bought out the company in 2005.
In its inauguration, Impact emphasised Jones’ experience in the gold space, beginning as a gold-copper explorer.
Today, Impact’s history of gold exploration is still intact through a joint venture with Kuniko (ASX:KNI) at the Commonwealth-Silica Hill Gold-Silver Project in New South Wales.
Kuniko is eligible to earn up to a 70% stake in the Commonwealth-Silica Hill Project from Impact Minerals and currently holds 51% through $1.5 million on exploration expenditure.
Since its inception, Impact has shifted its focus as a key player in Australia’s high-purity alumina (HPA) industry.
Current exploration efforts are centred around the Lake Hope HPA Project in Western Australia, of which Impact owns 80%.
Impact acquired a majority stake in this asset with intention to produce 99.99% 4n HPA.
The company also wholly owns the Arkun Battery Metals Project in Western Australia and the Broken Hill Nickel-Copper-Platinum Group Metal Project in New South Wales.
Chair Jim McKerlie says the board would like to thank Jones for his 20 years of service to the company.
“He founded the Company and has been responsible for leading the HPA strategy and setting it up for success,” McKerlie remarks.
“I am pleased he will remain close to the business in an advisory role.”
McKerlie entered the company in an independent non-executive role in June 2026, as reported by Mining.com.au.
Board refresh
Meanwhile, Impact Minerals is also undergoing a board refresh as directors Frank Bierlain and Paul Ingram will not stand for re-election at an upcoming annual general meeting.
Bierlain has remained on the board for five years as a director, while Ingram closes up 15 years as a director, including one as Chair.
McKerlie will assume the role of executive chair while the company searches for a new CEO to lead the development of its HPA production business.
He has previously worked for oil, gas, and mineral listed companies with experience in corporation transitions and company growth.
Impact Minerals is a high-purity alumina, gold, and silver exploration company with assets in New South Wales and Western Australia.
WWrite to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Main image: Impact Minerals
