Highland Copper announces proposed Changes to its Board of Directors

LONGUEUIL, Quebec, Nov. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Highland Copper Company Inc. (TSXV: HI, OTCQB: HDRSF) (the “Company”) announces proposed changes to its Board of Directors to be submitted for approval at its upcoming annual and special meeting of the shareholders of the Company (the “AGM”) to be held on December 16, 2021.

The Company is proposing to increase the size of the Board from five to eight Directors. In addition to Denis Miville-Deschênes (current director, President and CEO) and Jo Mark Zurel (current director and chair of the audit committee), Jonathan Cherry, Caroline Donally, Iain Farmer, Stephen J. Hicks, Melanie R. Miller and David B. Tennant will be presented as new nominees.

As announced on August 30, 2021, the Company’s Chairman, David Fennell, who has been instrumental in putting together the Company’s high-quality copper assets in Michigan, will not stand for re-election. John Johnson and Jean Desrosiers will also be retiring at the AGM.

As previously announced, the Company has undertaken a process to rejuvenate its Board of Directors. The Company has retained an external professional search firm to identify individuals with the qualifications, skills and experience to meet the characteristics the Company was seeking to support the near to mid-term needs and business strategy of the Company. The new nominees are:

Jonathan Cherry, a licensed Professional Engineer, has served as president, chief executive officer and director of PolyMet Mining Corp., a Minnesota copper and nickel mining company, since July 2012. Prior to joining PolyMet, Mr. Cherry was with Rio Tinto for 20 years in various positions, including general manager, where he was responsible for permitting and the initial development of the Eagle Mine in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Caroline Donally, a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ experience, has been Managing Director at Sprott Inc. and Managing Partner at Sprott Resource Streaming and Royalty since October 2020. Prior to that, Ms. Donally spent nine years at Denham Capital where she was responsible for sourcing mining investment opportunities and managing all aspects of a $1 billion mining investment portfolio across North and South America and Africa. Before Denham, Ms. Donally was involved in multiple structured cross-border financings and investments in mining, predominantly across Africa.

Iain Farmer has been Vice President, Corporate Development of Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd since February 2020; prior to that, he was Osisko’s Director of Evaluations where his responsibilities included financial and technical evaluation of investments as well as origination and execution of transactions. Mr. Farmer previously worked in equity research covering the mining sector. Mr. Farmer holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Mining Engineering, an MBA and has been a CFA Charterholder since 2016.

Stephen J. Hicks has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of JM Longyear, LLC, a privately held Michigan-based asset management company, since 2000. He has extensive expertise in development and execution of long-term business strategies and operations and has been involved in mining and resource projects in the State of Michigan and Minnesota. Mr. Hicks has a degree in accounting.

Melanie R. Miller is an executive with over 20 years of experience in the mining industry focusing on supply chain innovation, strategic planning and analysis, and organizational management. She served as General Manager, Hemlo Operations at Barrick Gold Corporation from 2017 to 2018, and Vice President, Supply Chain from 2014 to 2017; prior to that, she served as Vice President, Global Supply Chain at Newmont Corporation. Ms. Miller has a degree in finance and political science. She currently provides executive coaching and consulting services.

David B. Tennant is a lawyer with 30 years of experience in acquisitions and divestitures, securities laws and general corporate and commercial matters. From 1990 to 2019, Mr. Tennant was a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, one of Canada’s largest law firms and has been a board member of many corporations and charitable organizations. Mr. Tennant has a joint Law degree and MBA from the University of Western Ontario.

“I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to David Fennell, John Johnson and Jean Desrosiers for their contributions to the Company over the last several years and wish them well in their future endeavours,” said Denis Miville-Deschênes, President and CEO of Highland. He added, “I believe our shareholders will be well served with the outstanding slate of directors being proposed. The nominees possess a strong balance of skills and experience to support the Company in its goal of developing its Copperwood and White Pine projects in Michigan.”

Additional information about the nominees can be found in the management proxy circular furnished to the Company’s shareholders in connection with the AGM and available on the Company’s website at www.highlandcopper.com and on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

About Highland

Highland Copper Company Inc. is a Canadian company focused on exploring and developing copper projects in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S.A. Information about the Company is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company’s website at www.highlandcopper.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.

For further information, please contact:
Denis Miville-Deschênes, President & CEO
Tel: +1.450.677.2455
Email: info@highlandcopper.com