The appointment of Juan Flores to the board of Fitzroy Minerals brings a recognized expert in resource capital markets to the company's governance structure, effective January 6, 2026. His extensive career includes roles as a portfolio manager and chief investment officer for United Services Advisors, eleven years as a managing director and senior mining analyst at HSBC, and nine years as a portfolio manager for Paulson & Co. Since 2018, he has served as a mining sector consultant for senior gold companies and investment advisors, including a six-year tenure as Director of Strategic Projects for Orion Resource Partners.
Campbell Smyth, Chairman of Fitzroy Minerals, emphasized that Flores possesses a deep understanding of the sector that encompasses both the bottom-up impact of geology and asset-level results as well as the top-down impact of capital flows and economic cycles. This experience is expected to strengthen the company's governance as it advances its portfolio, which is primarily focused in Chile. The company's current property portfolio includes the Buen Retiro Copper Project located near Copiapo, Chile, the Caballos Copper and Polimet Gold-Copper-Silver projects located in Valparaiso, Chile, the Taquetren Gold Project located in Rio Negro, Argentina, and the Cariboo Project in British Columbia, Canada.
Flores holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geological Sciences and a Master’s degree in Energy and Mineral Resources from the University of Texas at Austin and has been a CFA charter holder since 1992. The appointment is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange, and no security-based compensation has been granted in connection with it. For more information on Fitzroy Minerals, please visit the Company's website at https://www.fitzroyminerals.com. The original release can be viewed on https://www.newmediawire.com.
This appointment matters because it signals Fitzroy Minerals' commitment to strengthening its strategic oversight during a critical development phase for its mining projects. Flores' unique combination of geological expertise and capital markets experience positions him to provide valuable guidance on both technical aspects of resource extraction and the financial strategies needed to advance these assets. His background with major financial institutions like HSBC and investment firms like Paulson & Co. brings credibility and connections that could facilitate future financing and partnership opportunities.
The implications extend to the company's ability to navigate complex market cycles while developing projects in geopolitically stable jurisdictions like Chile. With copper demand projected to grow significantly due to electrification trends and gold maintaining its status as a safe-haven asset, having board-level expertise in both commodity fundamentals and investment flows becomes increasingly valuable. This move may enhance investor confidence in Fitzroy Minerals' ability to execute its development plans while managing the capital-intensive nature of mining projects across different stages of exploration and development.
