The Ontario Mining Association (OMA) announced that Natasha Vaz will be the next chair of its board of directors. When she assumes the role in September, Vaz will become the first woman to serve as chair of the OMA, which was established in 1920 to represent mining companies in the province.
Vaz is currently chief operating officer at Kirkland Lake Gold (TSX: KL; NYSE: KL; ASX: KLA), having been promoted to the position in March of this year. She joined Kirkland Lake in 2019, first as vice-president of technical services, then as senior vice-president of technical services, technology and innovation, and is a professional engineer with over 20 years of operational and technical experience in the mining industry.
Vaz is taking over from the outgoing chair, Mike McCann, who is leaving the OMA to accept the position of president and CEO at Iron Ore Company of Canada. McCann is replacing the acting president and CEO of the company, Donald Tremblay.
"I have no doubt that the skills and leadership capabilities she will bring to this new role will further our collective strategic ambitions and our purpose-driven vision for Ontario mining," McCann said in a release. "Her appointment as the first woman to lead the board marks an important milestone in OMA's history - one whose time has certainly come as we celebrate the association's centenary and grasp emerging opportunities to reshape the industry."