Elemental X has assembled an experienced technical, financial and executive management team with a proven track record
Ijaz Khan – President and CEO
Mr Khan is a natural resources executive who has worked extensively in Africa and the Middle East. To date he has been part of teams that have raised over US$2 billion. Most recently he has co-founded several companies specialising in the upstream and oil services sector, with a particular focus on Africa, investing over US$400 million across these businesses. Previously Ijaz worked as general counsel to the Kuwait Gulf Oil Company. He is a graduate of University of Washington and Seattle University school of Law. He began his career working as a corporate lawyer.
Rocky Smith – Chief Operating Officer
Rocky is a highly experienced Chemical Engineer with 35 years’ rare earths experience. He was Managing Director of Molycorp’s Mountain Pass rare earth project in California, US, now owned by MP materials and listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Rocky is one of the few western mining executives with in-depth knowledge of the rare earth industry, including the supply chain, operational start-up and running complex chemical processes.
At Mountain Pass, Rocky was responsible for building the project and delivering operational readiness. He established the training systems, Quality Management and in accordance with “Zero Harm”, the highest possible health, environment and safety performance standards.
More recently, Rocky was COO of LSE listed Pensana plc and CEO of ASX listed Peak Resources.
Misha Tomic – Chief Development Officer
Misha is focused on emerging markets holding extensive relationships with SMEs, corporates and governments engaged in trade across the globe and with global investors with emerging market focus.
He founded Sycamore Capital and Sycamore Mining, the latter being a precious and base metals mining company invested into brown and greenfield projects in sub-Saharan Africa and went on to merge the company with a listed mining company in Canada.
Prior to this he was responsible for Emerging Markets Cross Asset client coverage at Goldman Sachs International, where he originated structured and derivative risk management mandates and maintained high-level client relationships.
Emma Priestley – Chief Executive Officer
Emma has a background in mining and financial services. She worked with GVA Grimley and IMC Mackay & Schnellmann with contracts held at PT Anneka Tambang and PT Bukit Assam in Indonesia and with the World Bank in Central America and Africa. In 2000 she was appointed as Mining Analyst with investment bank CSFB, before moving to the financial advisors VSA Resources, and Ambrian Partners, as corporate broker and adviser.
In 2005, Emma was appointed to the main board of Lonrho Plc, which developed business opportunities in infrastructure, transportation, agriculture, support services and natural resources in Africa., Lonrho was successfully taken over in 2014. She is a non-executive Director to CrossInvest Global Management Services Limited, and to Imperial X Plc. Emma is a graduate of Camborne School of Mines, is a Chartered Mining Engineer and Chartered Mineral Surveyor.
Clint Elgar – Non Executive Director
Clint has over 40 years experience in the natural resource sector with extensive experience in Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia. He previously founded Global Process Systems (GPS), and he led the team that grew GPS from start-up to a US$500 million company. Clint has an extensive investor and technical network base in the Middle East region.
He currently sits on the board of directors of companies in Sub-Saharan Africa who have operations in Mozambique, Tanzania, Namibia and South Africa.
Hamdan Doleh – Non Executive Director
Hamdan manages and leads a long-established family office in the UAE with an extensive real estate portfolio, having also created and launched multiple companies in sectors including media and publishing, digital content management, automotive spare parts trading, real estate, and manufacturing. Hamdan has an extensive network across the Middle East region.
In-Country Management
The corporate management team are supported by an extensive team of in-country personnel based on its project location, with active projects having a local Director General, In-Country manager, Community relations manager, ESIA specialist, as well as geologists, engineers and metallurgists as is required.
The technical teams are supported by leading global technical consultants.
Tarica Mpinga – Corporate Development
Tarica has 15 years of experience in originating, structuring, executing and financing in natural resources across a wide range of. transactions including debt structuring, IPO’s, secondary placing, public and private M&A, buy and sell side mandates as well as strategic investments. He spent 20 years as an investment and corporate banker with Bank of Montreal (BMO Capital) and at Canaccord Genuity, two major financial institutions in Toronto and London. Tarica has successfully originated negotiated and executed transactions of over US$15 billion.
Ijaz Khan –
Chairman
Mr Khan is a natural resources executive who has worked extensively in Africa and the Middle East. To date he has been part of teams that have raised over US$20 billion. Most recently he has co-founded several companies specialising in the upstream and oil services sector, with a particular focus on Africa, investing over US$400m across these businesses. Prior to this he was part of the group that founded Griffiths Energy, a company that secured oil and gas concessions in Chad. Griffiths Energy was subsequently sold to Glencore in 2014 for US$1.3 billion. Previously Ijaz worked as general counsel to the Kuwait Gulf Oil Company. He is a graduate of University of Washington and Seattle University school of Law. He began his career working as a corporate lawyer.
Emma Priestley – Chief Executive Officer
Emma has a background in mining and financial services. She worked with GVA Grimley and IMC Mackay & Schnellmann with contracts held at PT Anneka Tambang and PT Bukit Assam in Indonesia and with the World Bank in Central America and Africa. In 2000 she was appointed as Mining Analyst with investment bank CSFB, before moving to the financial advisors VSA Resources, and Ambrian Partners, as corporate broker and adviser.
In 2005, Emma was appointed to the main board of Lonrho Plc, which developed business opportunities in infrastructure, transportation, agriculture, support services and natural resources in Africa., Lonrho was successfully taken over in 2014. She is a non-executive Director to CrossInvest Global Management Services Limited, and to Imperial X Plc. Emma is a graduate of Camborne School of Mines, is a Chartered Mining Engineer and Chartered Mineral Surveyor.
Clint Elgar –
Director
Clint has over 40 years experience in the natural resource resource sector with extensive experience in Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia and the FSU at a corporate and technical level. He previously founded Global Process Systems (GPS), and he led the team that grew GPS from start-up to a US$500m company. Having held numerous senior positions in the industry, Clint has developed extensive knowledge and experience in the management of projects, proposals, engineering, process safety, and quality management throughout the organisation. He currently sits on the board of directors of companies that specialise in upstream projects in Sub-Saharan Africa with operations in Mozambique, Tanzania, Namibia and South Africa.
Bhavesh Patel – Chief Financial Officer
Bhavesh has over 20 years experience in the finance industry specialising in mining, providing corporate finance advice to listed and pricate companies, having negotiated and executed transactions over US$25billion. Bhavesh initially worked at the ‘Big 4’ accounting firms, before working in the corporate finance team of various investment banks. He has been involved and raised finance for a number of companies in the mining sector in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Bhavesh qualified as a chartered accountant and held the chartered financial analyst (CFA) designation.
Tarica Mpinga – Corporate Development
Tarica has 15 years of experience in originating, structuring, executing and financing in natural resources across a wide range of. transactions including debt structuring, IPO’s, secondary placing, public and private M&A, buy and sell side mandates as well as strategic investments. He spent 20 years as an investment and corporate banker with Bank of Montreal (BMO Capital) and at Canaccord Genuity, two major financial institutions in Toronto and London. Tarica has successfully originated negotiated and executed transactions of overUS$15 billion.