Alcoa has appointed Chris L. Ayers president of its Global Primary Products business. He succeeds John Thuestad, who will be handling special projects for the company.
Alamos Gold Inc. announced James R. Porter has been promoted to CFO. His appointment follows the retirement of Jon Morda, Alamos CFO since 2004. As part of the transition, Morda will stay on a part-time consulting basis. Greg Fisher has been promoted vice president of finance.
Riversdale Mining has appointed Eric Finlayson CEO.
Ortac Resources Ltd. has appointed Owen Mihalop group mining engineer.
Rio Novo Gold Inc. has appointed Brian Arkell senior vice president of exploration and corporate development.
Lundin Mining Corp. announced Phil Wright will be stepping down as CEO. Paul Conibear, current senior vice president of corporate development, has been appointed interim CEO.
Aurizon Mines Ltd. has appointed George N. Paspalas president and CEO, and a member of the board of directors. He succeeds David Hall, who will continue to serve as chairman of the board.
El Tigre Silver Corp. has appointed Jose Velazquez chief geologist. Eugene Schmidt will not continue as vice president of exploration, but will serve as a consultant and an adviser to the company.
Peak Resources Ltd. has appointed Linda Paini CFO and company secretary.
Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. announced its subsidiary, Panamanian Development and Infrastructure Ltd., appointed Jose Luis Dieguez CEO.
Teck Resources Ltd. has appointed Greg Belland general manager of Trail Operations.
Avalon Rare Metals Inc. has appointed Brian Chandler senior vice president and COO, and Richard Pratt vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary.
Santa Fe Metals Corp. has appointed Thomas Hawkins vice president of exploration.
Behre Dolbear Group has appointed Karr McCurdy executive vice president and COO. Bernard Guarnera, president and chairman, will remain head of the corporation until December 31, when McCurdy will become president and CEO.
Comstock Mining Inc. has appointed Brett (Randy) Harris director of safety.
Clough Ltd. has appointed Kevin Gallagher CEO.
Sierra Resource Group, Inc. announced Luis Munoz, a member of its board of directors, has been appointed top legal adviser for the National Department of Development and State of Ecuador.
Houston Lake Mining Inc. has appointed Henry J. Kloepper CEO.
Ormet Corp. has appointed Matthew T. Powell commercial vice president.
Sonora Resources Corp. has appointed Mark E. Scott CFO.
Tanami Gold NL has appointed Don Harper COO.
Anglo Swiss Resources Inc. has appointed Natasha Blackburn vice president of corporate development.
Yukon-Nevada Gold Corp. has appointed Randy Reichert COO. Graham Dickson, previous COO, has been appointed senior vice president of acquisitions and corporate development.
Commercial Metals Co. has appointed Joe Alvarado president and CEO.
Goldgroup Mining Inc. has appointed Rick Irvine general manager of the Caballo Blanco gold project in Veracruz, Mexico; Dustin VanDoorselaere projects manager; Dr. Roger Newell consulting geologist in charge of Northern Mexico exploration; and Brigitte McArthur corporate secretary. The company also announced Francisco Escandon has been promoted to technical director.
Ryan Youngblood has been appointed ground support sales manager, northwest, for Atlas Copco CMT USA.
Westgold Resources Ltd. has appointed Scott Huffadine managing director.
Dahlman Rose & Co. has appointed Geoffrey O’Malley managing director of investment banking.
Vista Gold Corp. has appointed Terri Eggert interim CFO and John W. Rozelle vice president of technical services.
Sagebrush Gold, Ltd. has appointed David Rector president and Arthur Leger director of exploration and field operations.
Buccaneer Gold Corp. has appointed Dr. Guy Della Valle vice president of exploration.
Eagle Star Minerals Corp. has appointed Jose Carlos Polonia COO and Carlos Augusto Sena de Sá project manager for the Ruth phosphate project in Piaui, Brazil.
Fortress Interlocks has appointed Josie Dewald marketing coordinator.
China Minerals Mining Corp. has appointed Ling Zhu CEO and director, David Bo chairman and director, and Liang Shi director.
Horizonte Minerals plc has appointed Paul Nagerl general exploration manager in Brazil.
Resource Star Ltd. has appointed Baker Khudeira exploration manager.
Mechel OAO has appointed Rashid Nugumanov managing director of the Chelyabinsk metallurgical plant.
Severstal North America has appointed Saikat Dey vice president of strategy and business development.
Eriez has promoted Dave Heubel director of North American Sales.
Strategic Mining Corp. has appointed Ken Baird CEO and director. He replaces Todd Sterck, who will now manage the company’s operations in Vietnam full time.
Banlaw has appointed Jeff Barker CEO. Current CEO Bill Clifton has been appointed managing director of business development.
Mine Site Technologies announced the following: Jeff Burpee has been appointed senior account executive, Central USA; Simon Li has been appointed regional sales manager, China; Yajuan Bian has been appointed office manager, China; and Fangyong Liu has been appointed director of sales and marketing, China.
Eric S. Graves has been promoted to regional sales manager for the W. H. Miner Division of Miner Enterprises.
Yokohama Tire Corp. has appointed Yasushi Tanaka president and CEO.
Hydroflo Pumps USA, Inc. has appointed Tonya Skinner president.
The University of Utah announced Thomas A. Hethmon has been chosen as the Western Mining Presidential Endowed Chair in Mine Safety. Hethmon is the first to occupy the chair, and was chosen because of his education, experience in safety and industrial hygiene, teaching and research history, and industry leadership. He will join the faculty of the University’s Mining Engineering Department, in the College of Mines and Earth Sciences.
