Board of Advisors
The Board of Advisors consists is a collection of individuals who bring unique knowledge and skills which complement the knowledge and skills of the team members in order to more effectively govern the organization. Included are indigenous expertise, legal, corporate, investment and banking and direct geology and mining.
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw has served the mining industry with distinction for more than forty years as a minefinder, company builder, an advocate of collaborative research and science and by working effectively with local and indigenous people. His early career with renowned Barringer Research gave him a global perspective on mineral exploration and the opportunity to develop and publish details of groundbreaking geochemical processes and exploration methods. In 1979, he joined Placer Development, a predecessor of Placer Dome, and helped advance several successful projects.
Among his other achievements Bradshaw brought expertise, integrity and energy to the junior sector, first with Orvana Minerals, which developed the Don Mario gold‐silver‐copper deposit in Bolivia. Later, as co‐founder and president of First Point Minerals, he helped discover and identify the commercial importance of a new type of nickel deposit in BC and Yukon, in which nickel occurs as the nickel‐iron alloy, awaruite.
Bradshaw earned a BSc (Geology) from Carleton University in Ottawa in 1962 and a PhD from Durham University in England (Economic Geology) in 1965.
Peter Bradshaw is known for his long‐standing commitment to find ways to work effectively and collaboratively with local and indigenous people. Mr. Bradshaw’s most enduring legacy is MDRU, the highly successful industry‐UBC research collaboration which he co‐founded in 1989. Today MDRU is recognized internationally as a centre of excellence in mineral deposits research and training.
Peter M.D. Bradshaw (b. 1938) was Inducted to the Mining Hall of Fame in 2015 and he was the AME BC 2015 Award Recipient Leader in Mineral Exploration and Mine Development.
Jeff Durno
Mr. Durno is Chair of Emprise Capital and is a Partner in the Securities Group at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, a Canadian law firm with offices in Toronto and Vancouver. Mr. Durno has been active in the public markets for the past twenty years, and in addition to a focus on strategic relationships, fund development and due diligence matters, he has overall responsibility for strategic planning and the mapping out of specific restructure processes for Emprise's portfolio companies.
As a partner in the Securities Group where his practice focuses primarily on securities and corporate finance matters. He provides strategic advice to clients ‐ from start‐ups to emerging and established businesses ‐ in structuring and negotiating complex commercial transactions and financial restructurings.
Active in the public market for more than two decades, Jeff acts for issuers, investment dealers and investment advisors across a range of industries including technology, manufacturing and natural resources.
Mr. Durno was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1993 and British Columbia in 1994 and is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and a director and officer of a number of Canadian public companies. Jeff brings a unique perspective to the business of law.
Lana Eagle
Lana is one of Canada’s most respected Aboriginal relations strategists, well‐known in the mineral exploration, development and mining sector for her depth of knowledge regarding aboriginal engagement, economic development strategies and for helping companies to earn a social license to operate. Her work focuses on facilitating partnerships so indigenous communities and industry can work together.
Lana was the first Aboriginal woman to Chair a junior mineral exploration company. Lana currently serves as Chair for the Aboriginal Relations Committee for the Association of Mineral Exploration British Columbia and is the President Industry Council for Aboriginal Business (ICAB). Lana frequently presents at conferences and recently was Diversity 101 Session Chair ‐ CIM 2014 and Chair at the Aboriginal Opportunities Forum 2014 at the Vancouver Board of Trade. She is a member of the Whitecap Dakota First Nation.
Yvonne Fizer
Yvonne Fizer launched her professional life in the Public Sector. As Educator and Partnership Coordinator in the Consumer and Corporate Affairs Department, she was a member of the taskforce which enacted Plain Language legislation; coordinated and delivered media messages to create awareness on a variety of consumer and corporate issues; and liaised with industry stakeholders. Her consumer experience prepared her to advocate for home‐based businesses and women in business in the Economic Development Department.
In 1996 Yvonne left the public sector to invest 14 years developing the market for Enterprise Facilitation, developed by Dr. Ernesto Sirolli. As Executive Director responsible for business development at the Sirolli Institute International, Yvonne negotiated and partnered with all levels of Government, Crown Corporations, Financial Institutions, Non‐profits, Colleges and Universities and private sector firms that wanted to take on support for enterprise in fulfillment of their economic development agendas.
Yvonne left the Institute and has joined SEF Canada bringing with her enormous experience. Yvonne has a personal passion for strength‐based team building strategies, helping organizations to realize their potential.
David McFaul
David McFaul retired in 2010 as Senior Vice President‐President International at Boston Scientific Corporation and a member of the Company's Executive Committee. During his 15‐year tenure at Boston Scientific, he was an Operating Committee member, Regional President of Asia Pacific & Japan, President Japan, Vice President Sales Development Intercontinental, Vice President of Latin America, Canada and sub‐Saharan Africa and responsible for the start‐up and development of the Canadian business.
David McFaul has over 25 years’ experience in sales, marketing and general management positions at a variety of other companies including Stryker Corporation, EBI Medical Systems, Baxter Corporation, and Abbott Labs. He is a past Board member of Covalon, a publicly traded Canadian medical device company. He most recently sat as CEO for a Contract Research Organization start‐up enterprise.
George Ritchie
George Ritchie is currently President of Strand Securities Corporation in Vancouver. Since 1986 he also holds the title of Director of Marketing and Chief Compliance Officer. Strand Securities Corporation is involved in development, acquisitions and financing of over 1 Billion dollars’ worth of projects across North America over the last 20 years. George graduated from Carleton University with a 4 year Honors Bachelor Degree. After Graduation, he spent 7 years at IBM as a Marketing Representative. During his final year with IBM he made the top 2% of sales people and was awarded the Golden Circle in 1980 in Singapore. Before Strand Securities, George’s experience in the markets came from Imperial Securities as Branch Manager.
George Ritchie has expertise in public markets. His experience in a wide variety of public companies provides him the understanding of large corporation shareholder values with the need for corporate social responsibility. He brings to SEF Canada an appreciation of the social license to operate challenges in both resource sectors and land use.
Michael Saint
Michael Saint is founder, CEO and chairman of The Saint Consulting Group, the world’s largest and most experienced firm in the new management consulting discipline of land use politics. He is co‐author of the book, NIMBY Wars – The Politics of Land Use, published in 2009.
After a career in journalism, politics and public relations, Mike founded The Saint Consulting Group in 1983 in Massachusetts. Today, it serves clients from four offices in the United States and international affiliates in Toronto, Vancouver, London and Berlin.
A graduate of Holy Cross College with a degree in political science, Mike earned his master’s in business administration from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. He has done additional study at the University of Chicago Business School and at the Harvard Business School.
The Saint Consulting Group has worked on more than 1,700 controversial projects in 47 U.S. states, in Canada and in England. Assignments have included office parks, hotels, hospitals, retail centers, power plants, quarries, landfills, casinos, ports, mixed‐use developments, malls, heliports, golf courses and an oil refinery. Mike Saint and his colleagues have developed specialized political techniques that help clients generate public support to ensure that they prevail in the local governmental approval process.
Jim Simpson
Jim Simpson is an experienced mining engineer with focus on copper gold projects. He brings hands on mining, operating and with senior management roles worldwide and corporate M&A. Jim is currently a Corporate Consultant providing merger and acquisition services to a variety of companies, and has been involved in the resources industry for 24 years. Mr. Simpson was the Chief Operating Officer for Pybar Mining Services, a leading mid ‐ sized mining contractor. From 2007 through 2008 Mr. Simpson was the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Peak Gold Ltd. and a Director of Peak Gold Asia Pacific. In that role, Mr. Simpson was responsible for operations in Cobar, NSW; and MPBA in Amapa, Brazil. He was also part of the acquisitions and mergers team. From 2003 through 2007, Mr. Simpson was General Manager and Director of Goldcorp Asia Pacific and was the General Manager of the Peak Gold Mines including the New Cobar Open Cut and was also charged with the responsibility of mergers and acquisitions in Australia. Mr. Simpson holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) from the University of NSW. He is also a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
