Champion Minerals Appoints Richard Quesnel as Senior Technical Advisor and Head of Advisory Board
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 09/02/11 -- Champion Minerals Inc. ('Champion' or the 'Company') (TSX: CHM)(FRANKFURT: P02) is pleased to announce that Richard Quesnel has been appointed the Company's Senior Technical Advisor and Head of its Advisory Board.
With his accomplished career, Mr. Quesnel brings over 30 years of senior mine management and engineering experience to Champion. Most recently, Mr. Quesnel served over 5 years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines Inc. ('Consolidated Thompson') (acquired by Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. earlier this year) where he was responsible for the successful construction and production ramp-up of the Bloom Lake iron ore mine, located in the Labrador Trough in Quebec, Canada. Under Mr. Quesnel's guidance, Bloom Lake entered into commercial production in early 2010, on schedule and just four years after completion of its feasibility study.
During his tenure at Consolidated Thompson, Mr. Quesnel also oversaw the construction of a railroad line and ore handling facilities near the port of Pointe-Noire, Quebec, in support of the mining operations at Bloom Lake. Additionally, Mr. Quesnel and the Consolidated team raised over CDN $850 million in financing, negotiated and concluded a $240 million strategic investment by Wuhan Iron and Steel Company ('WISCO'), one of China's largest steel producers, as well as off-take agreements with WISCO, Worldlink Resources of China and SK Networks Co., a subsidiary of the third largest Korean conglomerate, SK Group.
Throughout his mining career, Mr. Quesnel has also contributed to the success of several large gold, base metals and iron ore mines, where he successfully developed, commissioned, operated and expanded mining operations, including Quebec Cartier's Mount Wright iron ore mine in Quebec, the Gibraltar mine in British Columbia, Barrick Gold's Meikle mine in Nevada and the Montcalm mine in Ontario.
Thomas Larsen, Champion's President and C.E.O., commented, 'We are fortunate and excited to have Richard join our team. His technical and operational expertise and recent mine development experience in the Labrador Trough iron ore camp will be invaluable to Champion. The Company's technical and mining team will benefit greatly from Mr. Quesnel's mining success and his input as we progress Champion's Fermont Projects through development to feasibility and production.'
About Champion Minerals Inc.
Champion Minerals is an iron ore exploration and development company, with offices in Montreal and Toronto, focused on developing its significant iron ore resources in the provinces of Quebec and Newfoundland & Labrador. The Company's projects include: the Fermont Holdings in Quebec, jointly held by Champion (82.5% interest) and Fancamp Exploration Ltd. (17.5% interest); and the Attikamagen Iron Property in Quebec and Labrador. Champion's Fermont Property Holdings, including the flagship Fire Lake North Project, are located in Canada's major iron ore producing district among three producing mines. Champion's team and advisory board includes mining and exploration professionals with substantial iron ore expertise to effectively advance the Fire Lake North Project into production.
Please visit Champion's website at www.championminerals.com.
Statements made in this news release that are 'forward-looking statements' not historical facts. Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual developments or results may vary materially from those stated herein.
Contacts:
Champion Minerals Inc.
Thomas G. Larsen
President and CEO
(416) 866-2200
Champion Minerals Inc.
Jorge Estepa
Vice-President
(416) 866-2200
Champion Minerals Inc.
Salisha Hosein
Director, Investor Relations
(416) 866-2200
www.championminerals.com