Goldgroup Panel

Simon Ridgway is a co-founder of Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. and Radius Gold Inc., a prospector, a mining financier and a Casey Research Explorer’s League inductee. Mr. Ridgway and the exploration teams under his guidance have discovered gold deposits in Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua and a silver/gold deposit in Mexico. His companies have raised over CAD$450 million for exploration and development projects since 2003, including a recently completed $100M bought deal for Fortuna Silver Mines.

Bruce Smith, Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, has B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Geology from Otago University, New Zealand and MEng Water and Environmental Resources, IHE Delft, Netherlands. Bruce has been exploring for more than 20 years in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, North and South America. He has participated in gold discoveries in Guinea, Guatemala and Nicaragua and led the team that discovered the 200Moz Ag eq Chinchillas deposit in Argentina.

Mr. Usenmez is a Geological Engineer and a mining entrepreneur with over 20 years of global experience and has worked in various technical and leadership roles. After working with various VMS deposits and discoveries while working with Inco, Vale and Amec, he managed a drilling company, where the company grew during the downturn. He worked in numerous VMS deposits in Canada, such as Duck Pond NFLD, Bathurst in New Brunswick, and in Northern Manitoba, mainly in base metals, such as Zinc. He co-owns Atom Bits, a rapidly growing diamond drilling bit manufacturer in Canada. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the PDAC and is the Co-Chair of Public Affairs Committee.