Team
JEREMY WRATHALL
Founder, Interim Chairman and CEO
Jeremy has over 30 years of experience in the mining finance industry and has advised mining companies on transactions globally.
Following his graduation in Mining Engineering from the Camborne School of Mines in Cornwall, he spent three years working as a mining engineer in the South African gold mining industry. Jeremy then pursued a career in mining investment banking in London which included senior roles at global investment banks, including his most recent role as Global Head of Natural Resources – London at Investec Bank plc.
He has advised on transactions on all of the world’s major mining exchanges and has served as a non-executive director of mining companies listed on AIM and on the ASX stock exchanges. Jeremy is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.
Having founded Cornish Lithium in 2016, Jeremy decided to fully focus on the company and left his career in investment banking in March 2017.
VARSHAN GOKOOL
Chief Financial Officer
Varshan has over 20 years of experience in guiding TSX and AIM listed mining companies from project definition through to development and construction across a number of international jurisdictions.
Following his graduation from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, he has worked on both the investment banking and corporate sides of the mining industry during which time he has arranged and led over US$ 1.5 billion of funding transactions across the entire capital structure from equity to senior secured project finance debt for mining projects. He was most recently President and CEO of Euromax Resources Limited where he led the development of the Ilovica-Shtuka Copper Gold Project in North Macedonia from inferred resource to definitive feasibility study. Prior to Euromax, he led and implemented the financing strategy of European Goldfields Limited which owned, developed and operated copper, gold, lead and zinc mines in Greece and Romania.
Varshan is a Charterholder of the Charted Financial Analyst Institute.
Patrick Forward
Chief Operating Officer
Patrick was most recently Chief Operating Officer for Euromax Resources. Prior to Euromax, Patrick was VP, Projects & Exploration at European Goldfields, where he was responsible for operations at the Stratoni Mine in Greece and the development of the Skouries and Olympias projects in Greece, and the Certej project in Romania through feasibility work, basic engineering, and financing. In addition, Patrick was responsible for European Goldfields’ exploration properties in Romania, Greece and Turkey, and the growth and compliance of its resource and reserve base. In the early 1990s, he managed exploration projects in Europe, Ghana and Venezuela before spending five years in Burkina Faso managing exploration programmes including the discovery of Semafo Inc’s 2.8 Moz Mana deposit. Patrick is also specialised in geological due diligence, resource estimation, the application of GIS systems to exploration projects and deposit evaluation, and is a Qualified Person with respect to NI 43-101 reporting.
CHRIS HARKER
Head of Exploration
Chris is a Mining Engineering graduating from Camborne School of Mines and worked on the original hot dry rock (HDR) geothermal energy project, before moving into consultancy and has been engaged as a consultant to the Company since 2017.
He has extensive knowledge of the geology of Cornwall and of its mining heritage having worked in the County for over 30 years. He has assisted the Company integrate and interpret geological, historical and geographical information in order to identify existing and future targets.
Alan Baker
Trelavour Li Hard Rock Project Manager
Alan brings over 35 years of experience in the development and execution of mining projects, working on both new mine projects and expansion of existing operations.
He joined Cornish Lithium in November 2020 as an engineering consultant to complement the already strong geological team and to advance the development of the company’s various initiatives with particular focus on the Trelavour project.
Mr. Baker has previously been the Project Manager responsible for: the Ilovica-Shtuka copper project for Euromax Resources based in North Macedonia, the Santa Rosa gold deposit in Colombia, the Certej project in Romania for European Goldfields Ltd and subsequently Eldorado Gold Corp. as well as many other global mining operations over the course of his expansive and highly successful career.
LUCY CRANE
ESG & Sustainability Manager
Lucy is a geologist with a background in grassroots exploration. She holds an MSc in Mining Geology from Camborne School of Mines and a Master’s degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Oxford. Prior to joining Cornish Lithium, she worked as an exploration geologist for Altus Strategies, planning and implementing exploration strategies for base and precious metals projects up to drill stage in Africa. She is now applying these skills to Cornish Lithium’s exploration programme. Part of her role at Cornish Lithium is to foster collaboration with other industry and academic partners to accelerate the exploration programme and test new concepts.
Lucy has a keen interest in furthering the interests of young mining professionals and in promoting the mining industry to students, and sits on the committee of both Young Mining Professionals and Women in Mining (UK).
MIKE ROUND
Head of Geothermal Lithium
Mike is an exploration geologist with c.10 years’ experience in the industry. Having graduated with an MSc in Mining Geology from the Camborne School of Mines, he has worked on projects covering a variety of commodities including gold, copper and coltan around West and Central Africa. Mike is experienced in the planning and operational management of exploration programmes and applying new methodologies to unlock exploration potential.
Having joined Cornish Lithium in 2019 to run the company’s first drilling programme, Mike now heads up the Lithium in Geothermal Waters Team who are exploring for lithium in the deep groundwaters across Cornwall. As well as exploring, the team are evaluating new lithium extraction technologies and their application in commercialising metal extraction from geothermal waters.
KATE DASILVA
General Counsel
KATE J HARCOURT MSc, MIEnvSc, CEnv
ESG Officer
Kate is a sustainability professional with over 30 years of experience across the mining industry. She works as part of the Owner’s Team with leadership on sustainability issues, and for Equator Principles Financial Institutions and engineering groups. She serves as Non-Executive Director to Condor Gold, Roxgold Inc and Orezone Gold Corporation and sits on the ESG Committee advising the Board of Hummingbird Resources.
She works on projects in Europe and Africa, developing policy and environmental management frameworks, navigating local and international ESIA processes, stakeholder engagement and permitting, lender liaison, annual reporting and construction supervision. She has joined Due Diligence teams on high profile new projects and has contributed to documentation on industry good practice, such as the UNEP Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies at Local Level for Mining, the IFC Good Practice Note on Managing Contractors Environmental and Social Performance and worked with the Responsible Jewellery Council to update their Codes of Practice (COP).
In 2018 she was nominated one of the Top 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining.
Neil Elliot
Manager – Corporate Development
Neil has over 17 years’ experience providing corporate finance advice and broking services to UK listed natural resources companies, having also accumulated extensive experience advising TSX and ASX dual listed companies. Neil was most recently a director in BMO’s UK ECM and Corporate Broking team, which he joined from Liberum Capital in 2018. Neil started his career at Evolution Securities in 2003, moving to Investec, following its acquisition of Evolution in 2011 and subsequently to Canaccord Genuity. Neil has a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics.
ADAM MATTHEWS
Exploration Geologist
Adam graduated in 2016 with an MSc in Mining Geology from Camborne School of Mines, and previously completed a BSc (Hons) in Applied Geology at the University of Plymouth. Since joining the team in 2017 he has developed the Li-enriched geothermal waters conceptual model, and has been an integral part of target definition, drill hole planning and exploration. He is currently a Project Geologist, responsible for developing existing projects and finding new exploration targets.
Adam is a fellow of the Geological Society of London and outside of work is an enthusiastic climber and enjoys exploring what Cornwall has to offer.
TOM NAYLOR
Exploration Geologist
Tom holds an MSc in Mining Geology from Camborne School of Mines and a BSc in Applied Geology from Plymouth University. Having grown up in the Camborne area of Cornwall, Tom developed an interest in geology and mining. Following graduation, he went on to work in mineral processing before joining Cornish Lithium as a geologist in 2018. Since then, he has mostly worked on Cornish Lithium’s hard rock projects.
Outside of work Tom is a keen surfer and enjoys an active outdoor lifestyle.
ALISTAIR SALISBURY
Exploration Geologist
Ali holds a BSc in Geology from the University of Plymouth and studied for his MSc in Earth Structure and Dynamics at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where he completed his MSc thesis on lithium carbonate precipitation from brine solutions. After this he sought to offer his newly acquired knowledge within an industry setting at Cornish Lithium during a placement programme which soon turned into a permanent position.
Prior to this, Ali worked as a geophysicist at Wessex Archaeology undertaking surveys in the UK and internationally.
Having recently moved back to the UK, Ali is becoming reacquainted with the Cornish coastline spending time sea swimming and surfing. A keen climber and squash player, he also represents Falmouth Town’s squash club playing league games throughout the County.
NEIL WILLIAMS
Digital Archivist
Born and bred in Cornwall, Neil graduated in Astrophysics from Cardiff University in 1996. Following a brief period of travelling he returned to Cornwall and took up a position with Cornwall Council, working in various roles over the years but specialising in the digitisation and management of archival data.
In his spare time, Neil enjoys motorcycling, mountain biking, kayaking around Cornwall’s coast and, on quiet days, a good read. He is also a Local Councillor sitting on various committees and playing an active part in local democracy. Soon after becoming part of the Cornish Lithium team he undertook an undergraduate level module through Exeter University and Camborne School of Mines to better his understanding of geology and the mining industry.
SALLY WORBEY
Exploration Geologist
Sally holds a MGeol from the University of Leicester where her project focused on critical metals in iron-oxide-copper-gold deposits. Following graduation, Sally spent a year in Sudan on an advanced stage gold project in the Nubian desert.
Sally initially joined Cornish Lithium as a Geographical Information System Technician, where she gained the opportunity to advance her knowledge of ArcGIS. She has since moved into an Exploration Geologist position on the Hard Rock team, which enables her to share her passion for geology with others. In this role she works on broad scale target reviews, mapping and surface sampling projects, drill programmes and the associated data analysis. In her spare time Sally enjoys exploring different parts of Cornwall and eating too many Cornish pasties!
ROSIE Alway
Office Administrator
Rosie has worked in administration in Cornwall for over ten years in areas such as hospitality and finance. Prior to joining Cornish Lithium, Rosie worked in accounting and also brings skills in marketing and customer service.
With a keen interest in learning more about the mining of lithium in Cornwall and focusing on all aspects of the office, Rosie works on environment processes, grant administration, database management and human resources.
Outside of work Rosie enjoys coastal walks with her dog, swimming in the sea, gig rowing and sailing.
JACK YELLAND
Geographical Information System Technician
Jack graduated in 2020 with a BSc (Hons) degree in Marine Geography from the University of Cardiff. With a family background in mining and having spent most of his life in Cornwall, Jack has developed a great interest in the history of mining and current exploration and restoration mining projects in the County. Before joining Cornish Lithium, Jack experienced working on geotechnical drilling vessels as a Project Engineer and Assistant Driller at Fugro and spent six weeks working across different departments on a gold mine site in Tanzania.
In his spare time, Jack enjoys activities by the sea such as gig rowing, surfing, swimming and kayaking, and harbours hopes of exploring the whole Cornish coastline on foot in the upcoming years.
CHRIS WRATHALL
Trainee Digital Archivist
Having spent six years working as a journalist for a business publication in Scandinavia, Chris is now a member of the archive team. The son of a geologist, mining has been part of everyday family life and conversation since an early age. Chris has a keen interest in digitally preserving Cornwall’s rich mining history and is excited to be contributing towards its lithium fuelled future.
In his spare time Chris is an avid skier, has been heard proclaiming that he will attempt to take advantage of the Cornish coastline by learning to surf (one day!), and loves a good book.
ALEX HUDSON
Exploration Geologist
Alex has recently completed a PhD in Geology from Camborne School of Mines (University of Exeter) and holds an MSc in Petroleum Geoscience from the Royal School of Mines (Imperial College London).
During his MSc Alex applied geophysics and borehole geology to mapping prospective sub-surface fluid systems in rift and passive margin settings. Throughout his PhD, where he used elemental geochemistry and time series analysis to understand earth system responses to climate change, he developed an interest in Cornwall’s geology and mining history. Alex joined Cornish Lithium on secondment from his PhD in 2020 where he focussed on furthering exploration for lithium in deep geothermal brines and he now occupies a role as exploration geologist.
Alex is passionate about the growth of renewable energy, sustainable mining and digital innovation sectors within the County and is excited to contribute to realising this potential with Cornish Lithium. Outside of work Alex is highly likely to be found surfing, and enjoys a plethora of other hobbies including gardening, hiking and mineral collecting.
Alex Parker
Field Geologist
Originally from Cornwall, Alex graduated from the University of Plymouth in Applied Geology in 2017 and completed his Mining Geology Masters from the Camborne School of Mines in 2018. Before Alex joined Cornish Lithium in 2021, he spent time working on a Gold resource definition program in Australia and more recently on Scotgold‘s 2020 field campaign. In his spare time, Alex enjoys spending time in the great outdoors and enjoying Cornwall’s scenery.
James Pearson
Field Geologist
James graduated in 2019 with a BSc (Hons) degree in Geology from the University of Leicester. Through work experience with Cornwall Consultants Ltd, James developed a great appreciation and interest in Cornwall’s mining legacy. This, combined with his mining focused degree, has directed his career interests towards being part of the resurgence of mining in the southwest. Prior to working for Cornish Lithium, James worked for a local geotechnical company as a Geo-Environmental Engineer, where he carried out site investigations across the southwest.
Outside of work James is a keen skier, working in a ski Chalet in the French Alps for a winter season. In Cornwall, James enjoys exploring the coastline, snorkelling and spearfishing.
Frederick Jackson
Data Scientist
Fred has a background in Geophysics, with a BSc/Integrated Masters from the University of Leeds and an MSc from Western University, Canada. His award-winning MSc research used seismic data analysis to develop earthquake hazard mitigation models in British Columbia. He went on to work in the Applied Research department at DUG, working on testing and deploying advanced model building methods.
Fred joined Cornish Lithium to apply his skills and knowledge to the Deep Digital Cornwall project, where he assists in the development of innovative mining research methods.
Outside of work Fred loves the outdoors, wildlife and travel. His hobbies include photography, hiking, scuba diving, and skiing.
Chris Yeomans
Research Manager
Chris graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2011. After a brief spell working in geothermal energy exploration using magnetotelluric geophysics, he moved to Cornwall to do an MSc in Mining Geology and a subsequent PhD at the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter. His PhD made use of machine learning algorithms to better understand the geology of SW England by mapping granite types, faults, and mineral prospectivity.
With the resurgence of geothermal energy exploration in Cornwall, Chris found himself back exploring for deep geothermal energy targets before joining the Cornish Lithium team in Spring 2021. Chris now uses his breadth of experience to guide research activities at Cornish Lithium that support our exploration programmes.
Jill Booty
Financial Controller
Jill graduated from the University of Sheffield with a BA in Italian & Latin. She qualified as a Chartered Accountant and spent some years working in public practice in Oxford and New Zealand before returning to the UK where she moved into the corporate sector working in various finance roles for large, international companies. Most recently she was Senior Finance Change Manager at Barclaycard responsible for designing and implementing financial controls and processes for a BREXIT related project.
Jill loves walking, swimming and good food so following a recent move to Cornwall she is looking forward to exploring all the area has to offer.
SHEILA BARTON
Financial Accountant & Bookkeeper
After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a BSC(Hons) in Genetics, Sheila changed course and spent her early career in software development, software project management and agile development training. After a break to have her family, she returned to the workforce, holding a variety of admin, recruitment and health and safety positions before settling into accounting. She is AATQB qualified and currently working towards her AAT Professional Diploma in Accounting and her MAAT status.
In her small amount of spare time, she is involved in junior netball and has plans to complete her netball umpire training. She also misses travelling and hopes to resume that as soon as is practical.
Henry Chalcraft
Land Agent
Henry has more than 20 years’ experience in natural capital management within the forestry, farming and mining industries. After training in forestry and estate management, he worked his way through the ranks with lowland estates in the West Country and overseas, managing commercial and sporting woodlands as well as agricultural land. Following his time in estate management, Henry elected to change his career path and enrolled at Camborne School of Mines from which he graduated as a mining engineer in 2009. Since then, he has worked across the globe in technical and operational roles covering multiple hard rock commodities and soft rock industrial minerals on both open cut and underground operations. Henry’s experience includes acting as the technical services lead for Orica UK and Ireland and as the Drill and Blast specialist for Rio Tinto at its Oyu Tolgoi Project in Mongolia.
Karen Oliver
Grants and Human Resources Administrator
Karen holds a BSc in Psychology with Computing and has a strong and varied administrative background which covers all aspects of business management through her Office and Practice Management roles in the legal and mining sectors. Prior to joining Cornish Lithium Karen worked on the Project Management and coordination of major mineral processing research projects, working with associates from the UK and across Europe.
In her spare time Karen likes walking and enjoys exploring her local area and the New Forest and is looking forward to exploring more of Cornwall.
Nathan Rusden
Logistics Manager
Nathan grew up in the seaside town of Hayle, in Cornwall. He started his career in the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm as an Aircraft Engineer within the Commando Sea King Squadrons. He served a total of 17 years, working around the world finishing up at RNAS Culdrose.
Nathan went on to work in London in Policing before returning to Engineering as an Integrated Control and Safety Systems Commissioning Engineer working on Oil & Gas installations and pipelines in the North Sea, Norway, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan.
Outside of work Nathan spends his time Mountain Biking, Kayaking, walking and falling off his paddle board. Nathan’s other passion is History, Local and Military, he is also a Volunteer WW2 Tour Guide at Pendennis Castle.
CLAIRE RINGROSE
Executive Assistant
Claire originally studied as a linguist and has a diverse background in administration, including (but not limited to) Private Equity/Venture Capital, Wholesale Import/Export, Commodities (Metals), Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Mining.
Claire loves the opportunity to be involved with small and growing companies, due to the huge potential for learning new things.
Outside the work environment Claire enjoys reading (real) books, cooking/food and yoga. She also hopes to take up learning the clarinet again, having started for the first time a few years ago.
