28 August 2018
Acacia Mining
plc
LSE: ACA
(“Acacia” or the
“Company”)
Board Changes
Acacia announces that Mr Kelvin
Dushnisky has tendered his resignation as a non-executive
director of Acacia, effective as at 31
August 2018, and from his position as Chair of the
Board. This is further to the announcements made on
23 July 2018 by Barrick Gold
Corporation (“Barrick”) and by AngloGold Ashanti Limited
(“AngloGold Ashanti”), respectively, of Kelvin’s impending
departure from Barrick as at the end of August 2018, and his impending appointments as
CEO and as an Executive Director of AngloGold Ashanti, to be
effective 1 September 2018.
Further to Kelvin’s resignation, the Board of Acacia has
appointed Rachel English, one of
Acacia’s existing Independent Non-Executive Directors, as Interim
Chair of the Board, with effect from 1
September 2018.
Ms English is an Independent Non-Executive Director of Acacia.
Ms English is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Ms English has held senior positions in BG Group and Royal Dutch Shell, with responsibilities
spanning finance, corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and
business development. She began her career at
PriceWaterhouseCoopers and subsequently worked for the World Bank
Group and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(“EBRD”), where she was involved in policy development and
lending operations. Ms English has held a number of non-executive
positions over the past 10 years. Currently, Ms English is also a
Director of Helios Social Enterprise, which she founded to develop
renewable energy access projects in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Ms
English holds an MA in Politics, Philosophy & Economics from
Oxford University.
Following these changes, the Board of Acacia now comprises an
Interim Chair (prior to appointment, an Independent Non-Executive
Director), one Executive Director, three Independent Non-Executive
Directors and one Barrick Nominee Non-Executive Director. The
Board will continue to consider opportunities for additional Board
appointments as part of its orderly succession planning processes,
and to ensure that it retains the appropriate balance and expertise
to meet Acacia’s business objectives. An announcement on a
permanent appointment to the role of Chair of the Board will be
made in due course.
Commenting on these changes Michael
Kenyon, Senior Independent Director, said: “On behalf of
the Board and the Company, I would like to thank Kelvin for his
contribution to Acacia over the years and wish him the very best
for his new role at AngloGold Ashanti. We also welcome and support
Rachel in her new role as Interim Chair.”
In turn, commenting on her appointment as Interim Chair,
Rachel English said: "It is a
privilege to be accepting the position of Interim Chair of the
Board of Acacia. In this role I will continue to work with my
fellow Directors to seek to advance the Company in the interests of
all of its stakeholders over the long term.”
ENQUIRIES
For further information, please visit our website:
www.acaciamining.com or contact:
Acacia Mining
plc
+44 (0) 20 7129 7150
Sally Marshak, General Manager -
Investor Relations & Communications
Camarco
+44 (0) 20 3757 4980
Gordon Poole / Nick Hennis