Mark Connelly
B.Acc.&Fin., MAICD, AIMM, SME

Non-Executive & Independent Chairman (appointed March 2025)

Mark Connelly is an internationally experienced financial and commercial executive, with extensive resource industry experience where he held positions of Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. He has experience with several multinational companies across many areas including Australia, North America, South America, Africa, and Europe.
Mark is a Corporate Executive with a track record for deal making and was principally responsible for the merger of Papillon Resources and B2 Gold Corp in October 2014 (transaction value USD$570M), as well as the key person responsible for Adamus Resources Limited and Endeavour Mining Merger in September 2011 (transaction value of USD$597M).
Mark was the recipient of the Mining Journal’s “Outstanding Achievement – CEO of the Year 2014 Award” for his outstanding contribution to Papillon Resources.

Mark currently holds the following positions:

  • Non–Executive Chair at Warriedar Resources Ltd (ASX) (Gold explorer in Western Australia)
  • Non–Executive Chair at Astral Resources Ltd (ASX) (Gold explorer & developer in Western Australia)
  • Non–Executive Chair at Tesoro Gold (ASX) (Gold explorer & developer in Chile, South America)
  • Non–Executive Chair at Stellar Resources Ltd (ASX) (Tin developer in Tasmania)
  • Non–Executive Chair at Antares Metals Ltd (ASX) (Copper & Uranium explorer in Mt Isa, Queensland)
  • Non–Executive Director at Renegade Exploration Ltd (ASX) (Copper & Gold explorer in Queensland)
  • Non–Executive Chair at BeMetals Corp. (TSX-V) Gold & Base Metals Explorer in Zambia & Japan

Mark is Chair, Advisory Board, Edith Cowan University (ECU) School of Business & Law.

Mike Dunbar
BSc, P Grad Dip (Economic Geology), MAusIMM

Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer (appointed July 2023)

Mr Dunbar has over 25 years' experience in exploration and mine geology in Australia and overseas. He was involved in the discovery, delineation and development of the +2Moz Thunderbox gold mine, the delineation and development of the +1Moz Dalgaranga Gold Mine, the discovery and delineation of the +1Moz Glenburgh Gold deposit and the discovery and delineation of the Waterloo/Amorac, Munali and the Mirabella Nickel Sulphide mines, the IOCG - Cloncurry Copper, Gold, Cobalt, Magnetite project as well as a number of smaller deposits. Mr Dunbar's experience includes 4 years with Eagle Mining, 6 years with LionOre Australia, 6 years with the Mitchell River group of companies including Albidon, Mirabela Nickel, African Energy, Sally Malay Mining (now Panoramic) and Exco Resources and 9 years with Gascoyne Resources. Mr Dunbar was previously Managing Director at Mamba Exploration.

Andrew McIlwain
BE (Mining) Melb, MAusIMM

Non-Executive Director (appointed February 2007)

Mr McIlwain has over 35 years experience in the mining industry. He is a qualified mining engineer and throughout his career has held operational, technical, senior management and executive roles in Mount Isa Mines Limited, WMC Resources, Lafayette Mining Ltd and Unity Mining Ltd. More recently, as an independent consultant, he has worked with Oxiana, Heemskirk and Tusker Gold focusing on corporate transactions. Mr McIlwain has held Non-Executive Director positions with Tusker Gold, Verus Investments, Windy Knob Resources, Goldstone Resources and Kidman Resources Ltd and is currently the Executive Director of ASX listed Investigator Resources Ltd.

Mr McIlwain brings operational and corporate experience in a variety of fields including establishment of operational sustainability, project development and both equity and conventional debt financing. He joined Emmerson's Board in February 2007.

Dr Allan Trench 
B.Sc (Hons), Ph.D, M.Sc, MBA

Non-Executive Director (appointed March 2015)

Dr Trench is a geologist/geophysicist with extensive experience in strategy, project development and operations within the natural resource sector. Dr Trench holds degrees in Geology, a Doctorate in Geophysics, a Masters in Mineral Economics and a Masters in Business Administration. His former roles include management of nickel and gold/base metal exploration teams in the Yilgarn region of WA, initially for WMC and subsequently for a group of junior ASX listed companies. From 2002 Dr Trench worked as a business consultant for McKinsey and Company, then as a manager at KCGM Pty Ltd and Woodside Petroleum, and more lately as a consultant with the CRU Group, providing business analysis and intelligence on the global mining and metals markets. He is also a non-executive independent director of a number of Australian listed resources companies.

Alan Tate 
B.Com, FCA, FAICD

Non-Executive Director (appointed November 2021)

Mr Tate has over 30 years' experience as a commercial and finance lender and extensive experience in public listed companies at Board and Committee level. He is currently Group CFO of BGC and a non-executive director of the not-for-profit company, Ride against Domestic Violence.  He has previously held senior executive roles providing strategic, commercial, and financial leadership to a variety of international and ASX 100 companies including Iluka Resources, BHP Billiton and WMC Resources. He is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.