Board & development team
Leadership
Strong senior team with African mining development and operational experience
Bernard Aylward
Chief Executive Officer
A geologist with over 20+ years’ of experience in West Africa, Bernard has previously served as COO of International Goldfields and General Manager of Azumah Resources, both located in Ghana.
At Kodal Minerals, Bernard has served as CEO since 2016. Over the past 12 months, he has successfully secured both of the lithium exploration permits for the Bougouni Lithium Project, as well as Kodal’s funding partner, Hainan Mining.
Steven Zaninovich
Operations Director
Steven brings over 30 years’ experience in mining, development and production, on top of his 25 years’ of experience in project development and production in West Africa (reword).
His background includes roles as Technical Consultant for Atlantic Lithium’s Ewoyaa Project and Project Director for the Bald Hill DMS Lithium Project in Australia. He has served as Operations Director since 2022.
Robert Woolridge
Non-Executive Chairman
Robert is a qualified Chartered accountant with 8 years experience at PwC.
He has previous worked in the International Markets division at HSBC Investment Bank, where he worked on landmark equity deals across EMEA and India. Robert is a founding partner of UK broker SP Angel.
Charles Joseland
Non-Executive Director
Charles qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PwC and has over 20 years’ of experience as an audit partner in the Energy, Utilities and Mining Group.
He has acted as a reporting accountant and advisor for both AIM and Main Market listed companies on the London Stock Exchange. Charles will chair the Company’s Audit and Risk Committee.
David Teng
Non-Executive Director
David joined the board of Kodal Minerals in March 2024. He has worked for over 15 years at Fosun Group’s natural resources division, and currently leads its global portfolio investments and management. David is President and Vice Chairman of Hainan Mining Co Ltd, a publicly listed subsidiary of Fosun Group, and is the Non-Executive Board Chairman of ROC Oil Company, an Australia-based petroleum company also controlled by Fosun Group.
Robert Woolridge
Non-Executive Chairman
Robert is a qualified Chartered accountant with 8 years experience at PwC.
He has previous worked in the International Markets division at HSBC Investment Bank, where he worked on landmark equity deals across EMEA and India. Robert is a founding partner of UK broker SP Angel.
Charles Joseland
Non-Executive Director
Charles qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PwC and has over 20 years’ of experience as an audit partner in the Energy, Utilities and Mining Group.
He has acted as a reporting accountant and advisor for both AIM and Main Market listed companies on the London Stock Exchange. Charles will chair the Company’s Audit and Risk Committee.
Project Team in Mali
Strong project team on the ground
Paul Reeves
Chief Financial Officer
Paul is a qualified Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ of experience, including 15+ years on the ground in West Africa, including Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso. Paul has held senior financial roles with Ausdrill, AGA, Carcal, Endeavour and Hummingbird Resources.
Paul was mobilised to Mali in October 2023 as a part of our team on the ground.
Mohammed Niare
Mali Country Manager
Mohammed is a Malian national with over 25 years’ experience working in the Malian and Ivorian mining industries, holding senior administrative roles with West African miners including Randgold, Newmont, Resolute and African Gold.
Mohammed holds a key management position within the group, credited with securing and maintaining tenure of company assets, including the lithium permits at Bougouni.
Yushen Cai
General Manager of Operations
Yushen is a senior representative in the JV Operations team at Hainan, Kodal’s JV partner on the Bougouni Lithium Project. Yushen joined the Kodal team in Mali in September 2023, bringing over 25 years’ of engineering experience in industrial and mining operations across the world, covering Asia and Africa in countries such as China, Myanmar, Cambodia and Namibia.
Yushen has also held various management roles such as CEO and Deputy General Manager at Swakop Husab Uranium Mine in Namibia.
Jerry Gao
Hainan VP - Operations
Jerry is a qualified metallurgist with 20 years’ experience in processing operations at international locations including China, the Netherlands and Papa New Guinea. Jerry has experience in Africa, having been stationed in Namibia for seven years in process operations and project development roles at Swakop Husab Uranium mine.
Jerry has been supporting the Kodal team since April 2023 with process engineering reviews and technical support. He was mobilised to Mali in September 2023.
Yushen Cai
General Manager of Ops
Yushen is a senior representative in JV Operations team at Hainan, Kodal’s JV partner on the Bougouni Lithium Project. Yushen joined the Kodal team in Mali in September 2023, bringing with him over 25 years’ of engineering experience in industrial and mining operations across the world, covering Asia and Africa in countries such as China, Myanmar, Cambodia and Namibia.
Yushen has also held various management roles such as CEO and Deputy General Manager at Swakop Husab Uranium Mine in Namibia.
Jerry Gao
Hainan VP - Operations
Jerry is a qualified metallurgist with 20 years’ experience in processing operations at international locations including China, the Netherlands and Papa New Guinea. Jerry has experience in Africa, having been stationed in Namibia for seven years in process operations and project development roles at Swakop Husab Uranium mine.
Jerry has been supporting the Kodal team since April 2023 with process engineering reviews and technical support. He was mobilised to Mali in September 2023.
