West Red Lake Gold Mines Strengthens Leadership: Shane Williams Appointed President and CEO, Duncan Middlemiss Joins as Independent Director
VANCOUVER, June 06, 2023 - West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. ("West Red Lake Gold" or "WRLG" or the "Company") (TSXV: WRLG) (OTCQB: WRLGF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Shane Williams as President and CEO, effective June 1, 2023, succeeding Tom Meredith, who becomes Executive Chairman. The Company is also pleased to report Mr. Duncan Middlemiss has joined West Red Lake Gold as an independent director. These strategic appointments are part of ongoing changes at the Company in relation to the acquisition of the Madsen gold mine to position West Red Lake Gold for future success.Shane Williams is an accomplished mining executive and engineer, renowned for his track record of executional excellence in successful mine restarts and builds. With extensive experience in Canada's gold mining sector, his expertise is highly relevant to his new position.
As the Chief Operating Officer at Skeena Resources from 2020 to 2023, Mr. Williams played a pivotal role in advancing the past-producing Eskay Creek gold mine in B.C. towards a restart. His leadership, team-building and business development contributed to a remarkable fivefold increase in market value for Skeena during his tenure.
From 2013 to 2019, Mr. Williams held various leadership positions at Eldorado Gold, culminating in his role as Senior Vice President overseeing Canadian and Greek operations. Under his guidance, the Lamaque gold project in Quebec progressed from a Preliminary Economic Assessment to a fully operational mine in 18 months. Mr. Williams also served as Project Director for Eldorado's Greek assets, successfully developing the Skouries and Olympias projects with a combined capital expenditure exceeding US$1 billion. Prior to his tenure at Eldorado Gold, Mr. Williams was involved with several thriving operations in progressively senior roles around the world.
Mr. Williams holds a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from the Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland, and an M.Sc. in Project Management from the University of Limerick, Ireland.
"I am thrilled to join West Red Lake Gold as President and CEO to move forward the Company's remarkable assets," commented Mr. Williams. "I see a major opportunity here to establish a significant mining company. Our goal is to build the premier growth-focused gold company. We will expand and de-risk the Company's assets through comprehensive and modern techniques. Getting Madsen back up and running better than ever is just one part of our vision to create a world-class company and I will bring all of my energy to the role."
"I am pleased to welcome Shane Williams as the new President and CEO of West Red Lake Gold. His impressive track record in the mining sector and his ability to build high-performance teams and cultures make him an excellent fit for the Company. We are fortunate to have someone with his expertise, energy, and enthusiasm leading this venture with us. I am genuinely excited to see the positive impact he will have on the Company's future," commented Frank Giustra, advisor and major shareholder. "I also want to thank Tom Meredith for his tireless efforts over the past several years in advancing the Company to where it is now. In his new role as Executive Chairman, we will continue to rely on his expertise as we build further on the Company's success."
West Red Lake Gold is pleased to announce the appointment of Duncan Middlemiss as independent director, following the resignation of Ryan Weymark, who will continue supporting the Company in an advisory role.
Mr. Middlemiss, a professional engineer (P.Eng), brings a wealth of experience in Canada's gold mining sector to the position. He previously served as the CEO of Wesdome Gold Mines and St. Andrew Goldfields. With a B.Sc. in mining engineering from Queen's University, Mr. Middlemiss has held significant roles at Inco Limited, Barrick Gold Inc., and Foxpoint Resources (now Agnico Eagle Mines). His expertise contributed to the successful restart of the Macassa Mine. Born and raised in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Mr. Middlemiss possesses extensive knowledge of gold deposits in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. Mr. Middlemiss also served as the Past Chair of the Ontario Mining Association and remains actively engaged with the organization.
Tom Meredith commented, "It has been a pleasure leading the excellent team at West Red Lake Gold. I am looking forward to working closely with Shane and Duncan in my new role as Executive Chairman. Over the past couple months, we have taken a great many strides forward and are becoming a name synonymous with the Red Lake Gold camp. Both Shane and Duncan add incredible leadership and bench strength to an already talented group."
ABOUT WEST RED LAKE GOLD MINES LTD
West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. is a mineral exploration company that is publicly traded and dedicated to creating value for its shareholders by discovering new gold mines in the highly productive Red Lake Gold District of Northwest Ontario, Canada. This district has yielded 30 million ounces of gold from high-grade zones and hosts some of the world's richest gold deposits. The Company recently entered into a binding agreement to acquire the Madsen Gold Mine and its associated 47 Km2 highly prospective land package. WRLG also holds the wholly owned Rowan Project in Red Lake, with an expansive property position covering 31 Km2 including three former gold mines - Rowan, Mount Jamie, and Red Summit.
ON BEHALF OF West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd.
"Tom Meredith"
Tom Meredith
Executive Chairman
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Amandip Singh, VP Corporate Development
Tel: 416-203-9181
Email: asingh@wrlgold.com
or visit the Company's website at https://www.westredlakegold.com
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements". When used in this document, the words "anticipated", "expect", "estimated", "forecast", "planned", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements or information. These statements are based on current expectations of management, however, they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this news release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements. West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. does not undertake any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date hereof, except as required by securities laws.
