Mamadou Barry Global Head & Senior Underwriter- Oil & Gas, Mining & Chemicals MIGA- World Bank Group

Mamadou Barry is a Senior Underwriter with MIGA,focusing on the Africa, Middle East and Asia regions. Since he joined MIGA, he has specialized in policy advisory services, investment promotion and political risk insurance. Prior to joining MIGA, he worked as a geological engineer with multinational mining companies operating bauxite mines in Guinea. He subsequently joined the staff of the Mineral Exploration Division at the Ministry of Mines of Guinea. Upon completion of his graduate studies in the United States, he worked as an associate consultant for several natural resource consulting and engineering firms in Colorado. He concurrently conducted specialized executive training and capacity building assignments in the areas of finance, natural resource and environmental management and investment analysis. He also taught graduate-level finance and economics courses at the University of Colorado. Mamadou joined the World Bank Group in 1993 and worked on industry and mining sector reform programs in developing countries. He was reassigned to MIGA in 1997, where he worked for both the technical assistance section and the guarantee arm. Mamadou received a minerals engineering degree from the Institute of Mines and Geology of Boké in Guinea, an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Mineral Economics from the Colorado School of Mines. He also attended the Economics Institute of the University of Colorado, and the Graduate School of Business of the University of Denver where he specialized in Finance.

Julian Bavin Exploration Director, South America Rio Tinto

Julian Bavin was educated in England at the University of Leicester, Imperial College, and London Business School. His career has included stints in business development, but has been primarily focused on mineral exploration. Since 1980 he has lived and worked in the Middle East, Africa, SE Asia, Australia and most recently South America where he has been Rio Tinto’s director of Exploration for the continent since 2001.  He has worked for the Rio Tinto Group since 1986.

Dr. Michael Berry Mining Consultant & Publisher Morning Notes

Michael Berry has been a portfolio manager for both Heartland Advisors and Kemper Scudder where he successfully managed small and mid cap value portfolios. Dr. Berry has specialized in the study of behavioral strategies for investing and has been published in a number of academic and practitioner journals. His definitive work on earnings surprise, with David Dreman, was published in 1995 in the Financial Analysts Journal. Previously, Dr. Berry was a professor of investments at the Colgate Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and has also held the Wheat First Endowed Chair at James Madison University. Dr. Berry is a respected and dynamic speaker. He regularly presents around the world on topics such as value investing, the role of Austrian Economics in investment management, behavioral investing strategies and is a specialist in developing case studies to teach investors how to invest. While a professor, he published a case book, Managing Investments: A Case Approach. He has recently focused on the role of precious metals in the asset allocation of the individual investor. Dr. Berry publishes Morning Notes by Michael Berry, Ph.D. daily. This publication is distributed to clients worldwide to identify current market opportunities and behavioral anomalies.

Luiz Bizzi Regional Manager for Latin American Exploration BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton              -Regional Manager for Minerals Exploration in South America B&A Consulting Services              -President & CEO CPRM-Brazilian Geological Survey             -Director for Geology and Mineral Resources (President & CEO from Dec 02 to Mar 03).

Annemarie Brissenden Manager, Corporate Communications Excellon Resources

Ms. Brissenden manages investor relations, corporate communications and sponsorship programs for Excellon Resources Inc., which is committed to building value through production, expansion and discovery.  She has been with the Company since it first acquired the Platosa Property.  Her career in the mining industry has spanned over ten years and has included periods at a private investment firm and Regal Goldfields Limited (now Regal Consolidated Ventures Limited).  Previously editor-in-chief of three community newspapers in Toronto, she graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature.

Eduardo Chaparro Director, Mining Division, Latin America & the Caribbean ECLAC

Eduardo Chaparro Ávila, Colombian geologist, studies in International Relations, studies in Mining Security and Hygiene, has wide experience in exploration and operations,(coal, industrials minerals, gold and emeralds). He was General Director of Mines and General Manager in public mining companies in Colombia.  Has acted as private consultant, author of the Colombian National Mining Development Plan, and papers on mining politics, Social Responsibility, small and artisanal mining, and Gender. Since 1.998, he is in charge of mining in Latin America and the Caribbean, matters in Eclac, (U.N). He has cooperated with fourteen countries in the region.

Laurence Curtis  President & CEO  Intrepid Mines Limited

Jerry  Danni  SVP, Enironmental Protection  Apex Silver

Rick de los Reyes Vice President & Analyst T. Rowe Price

Rick de los Reyes is a vice president of T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., and a research analyst in the Equity Division.  Rick is a vice president and Investment Advisory Committee member of the New Era Fund.  He follows metals and mining companies under the industrial sector.  Rick joined the firm in 2006 and has seven years of previous investment experience.  Prior to joining T. Rowe Price, he spent four years as an equity analyst at Soros Fund Management, LLC where he followed industrial cyclical and tech/telecom companies.  Rick also worked as a senior analyst in Mergers and Acquisitions for Deutsche Bank in Sao Paulo, Brazil and BT Wolfensohn in New York.  He earned a B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Robert Dewing Managing Director, Infrastructure & Energy Finance Citigroup

Norberto Roque Diaz General Coordinator of Mining Ministry of Economy, Mexico

Norberto Roque Díaz de León is General Coordinator of Mining, of the Ministry of Economy, whose mandate is to coordinate all the entities related with mining to attract national and international investments, and to analyze and propose policies that will enhance competitiveness and employment in the mining sector. Between 2004 and 2006 Mr. Roque served as Undersecretary of Agribusiness, in the Ministry of Agriculture, Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación (SAGARPA), where he developed strategies to grant credit to the chain of value in agriculture and fishing activities. He also worked in the creation of 490 warrantee funds for the sector producers.   From 2000 to 2004 he worked as General Director of the Fideicomiso de Fomento Minero, Financial Institution of the Ministry of Economy, in which he was committed to enhance the attention to small and medium mining companies and also to generate added value to the mineral activities. As Secretary of Economic Development in the Government of Guanajuato, Mr. Roque participated in the design and creation of the State System for Financing Development (1996-2000). He was an active participant in the Program to Enhance Small and Medium Industries (Program de Apoyo Integral a la Pequeña y Mediana Industria) from 1980 to  1987, when was invited to work for Nacional Financiera where he carried on several positions until 1995. Norberto Roque is a Chemical Engineer, he received a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM). He has participated in diverse directive programs as the AD-2 from IPADE and diverse seminars in Harvard University. He has also been a guest speaker in diverse international forums in Spain, Italy and Japan, among others.

Christopher Ecclestone  Strategist Hallgarten & Co

Christopher Ecclestone - Strategist at Hallgarten & Company LLC. For the past three years he has been the Strategist for a US equity long/short hedge fund and a Balkan Eastern/European equity hedge fund. He is currently establishing a Latin American 120/20 equities hedge fund with a strong emphasis on mining. Prior to Hallgarten he was the head of research at Polyconomics, an economic think-tank in New Jersey which he had joined in 2001. Before joining the think-tank, he was the head of research at the pioneering Argentine equity research house, Buenos Aires Trust Company, from 1991 until 2001. During that time, Buenos Aires Trust worked via distribution arrangements with Banamex and later Interacciones. Prior to his arrival in Argentina, he worked in London beginning in 1985 as a corporate finance and equities analyst and as a freelance consultant on the restructuring of the securities industry. Earlier, he worked for the Federal and State governments in Australia. He is a native of Melbourne, Australia. He graduated in 1981 from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

John Embry President Sprott Asset Management

John Embry joined SAM as Chief Investment Strategist in March 2003 with focus on the Sprott Gold and Precious Minerals Fund and the Sprott Strategic Offshore Gold Fund, Ltd. He plays an instrumental role in the corporate and investment policy of the firm. Mr. Embry, an industry expert in precious metals, has researched the gold sector for over thirty years and has accumulated industry experience as a portfolio management specialist since 1963.    After graduating from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, John Embry began his investment career as a stock selection analyst and Portfolio Manager at Great West Life. He then became Vice President of Pension Investments for the entire firm. After 23 years with the company, John became partner with United Bond and Share, the investment counseling firm acquired by Royal Bank in 1987. Since then, John was Vice-President, Equities and Portfolio Manager at RBC Global Investment Management, a $33 billion organization where he oversaw $5 billion in assets, including the flagship Royal Canadian Equity Fund and Royal Precious Metals Fund, at the time, the #1 performing gold fund in Canada for its 10-year annualized return.

Luis Ferrari National Director of Mining and Geology Uruguay

Elizabeth Ferry Asst. Professor of Anthropology Brandeis University

Elizabeth E. Ferry is associate professor of anthropology and Latin American and Latino Studies at Brandeis University.  Her book Not Ours Alone:  Patrimony, Value and Collectivity (Columbia University Press, 2005) examines the Santa Fe mining cooperative in Guanajuato, Mexico and its strategies for survival in the 1990s.  Her current research focuses on transitions in ownership in the Guanajuato mining district and their effects on local communities.

David Fowler CEO Uruguay Minerals Exploration

David Fowler joined Uruguay Mineral Exploration in 2004 as Chief Financial Officer.  He became Finance Director in October 2005 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in June 2006.  David is a Chartered Accountant and has a Graduate Diploma in Finance and Investment.  He has over 15 years of experience in the mining industry in South America, Australia and Asia.  He was previously Chief Financial Officer of Western Metals Limited.

Peter Gray  Managing Director, Energy & Natural Resources  KPMG

BA Managing Director in our New York office, Peter heads KPMG’s Energy & Natural Resources Group in North America. Peter has worked in Corporate, Project and Structured Finance for in excess of twenty years. He joined KPMG Corporate Finance in 2006, having spent the previous twelve years at ANZ Investment Bank where he headed Mining and Natural Resources Finance in the Americas. Prior to this he was with National Australia Bank in its Corporate Banking & Finance Division in Australia from 1987-1994. Peter has directed numerous advisory and financing assignments in major mining, forestry and energy projects in Australia, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, New Zealand, South Africa, Tanzania and the United States. Peter’s experience in corporate finance encompasses merger and acquisitions advisory, project debt advisory, balance sheet optimization and debt restructuring. Peter has been engaged on numerous mining developments including such notable projects as Antamina (Peru) for BHP Billiton, Xstrata and Teck Cominco, Veladero Gold (Argentina) for Barrick Gold and Escondida (Chile) for BHP Billiton. Peter also has wide experience in Latin America and the USA in Oil & Gas and Alternative Energy/Alternative Fuels (Biofuels) and in Australia in Hydro-Electric power generation, forestry, paper & pulp.

Victor Flores Senior Analyst HSBC

Peter Hawley Chairman & CEO Scorpio Mining Corporation

President and CEO Peter J Hawley is the founder of the Company. He holds degrees in geological engineering and geology. Over the past 25 years of mining industry experience which spans from grassroots exploration through to development and production through out the world. He has worked extensively as a consultant to a large number of intermediate and senior mining companies including Placer Dome, Teck Corporation, Noranda Inc and barrack Gold Corp to name a few. Since 1988 he has focused his expertise in the exploration and mining areas of Mexico. He also has a wide variety of expertise in private and public company financing and corporate administration and raise capital in excess of $100 million dollars for mining ventures. He will be considered a mine finder from the Nuestra Senora project from discovering the project, forming a private company, Scorpio and bring it public, to financing the project and bring it into production thus completing the complete mining cycle.

Frank Holmes CEO/CIO US Global Investors

Frank Holmes is Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of U.S. Global Investors, Inc.  The company is a registered investment adviser that manages nearly $6 billion in 13 no-load mutual funds and for other advisory clients. Mr. Holmes, a Toronto native, moved to San Antonio in 1989 after purchasing a controlling interest in U.S. Global Investors. His background includes positions as research analyst, portfolio manager and managing director of corporate finance with a Canadian firm.  His specialized knowledge gives him expertise in resource-based industries and money management. He is a former president and chairman of the Toronto Society of the Investment Dealers Association, and he has served on the Toronto Stock Exchange’s Listing Committee. Mr. Holmes is a regular keynote speaker at national and international investment conferences. He is also a much-sought-after commentator on the financial television networks CNBC and Bloomberg, and has been profiled by Fortune, Barron’s, The Financial Times and other publications. The Global Resources Fund (PSPFX) and the World Precious Minerals Fund (UNWPX) received 2007 Lipper Fund Awards as the best overall fund in their respective categories.

Han Ilhan Director, Global Mining Business URS Corporation

HAN ILHAN, MS, PE, is the Director of Global Mining Business of URS Corporation.  URS Corporation is the largest design firm in USA (ENR 2007) with over 300 offices Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia-Pacific.  Mr. Ilhan has been with URS for 23 years providing civil/geotechnical and environmental engineering experience in managing multi-faceted mining industry projects in USA and overseas.  His mining project experience has been located in many countries around the world including USA, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, Suriname, French Guyana, Chile, Honduras, Mexico, Switzerland, UK, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Libya. Mr. Ilhan has been providing engineering and environmental services to private, state and federal clients in the mining industry that are generally associated with project identification, evaluation, planning, and development with strong emphasis on environmental risk minimization and sustainable development.  As a part of his services, he has been involved in numerous waste storage and pollution prevention related projects.  Additionally, as a part of project evaluations and risk management studies he has interacted with various stakeholder groups, in addition to technical auditing and due diligence of operating and closed facilities.

Margaret Kent  Chairman, President & CEO  Century Mining

Margaret Kent has over twenty years of experience as CEO of publicly held mining corporations.  During that time she completed over 40 mergers and acquisitions.  She raised over $1 billion in U.S. and Canadian public and private equity and debt markets to fund the acquisition and development of mining projects in Canada and Latin America.  As Chairman, President & CEO of Royal Oak Mines, Ms. Kent started the company and grew it into an intermediate gold producer with annual production of approximately 500,000 ounces. In 1994, Ms Kent launched Royal Oak Mines’ $2.0 billion offer to purchase Lac Minerals, a major Canadian gold producer.  Ms. Kent is currently Chairman, President and CEO of Century Mining Corporation and Chairman of Tamerlane Ventures Incorporated.  Century Mining has gold mining operations in Canada and Peru.  Tamerlane Ventures is a base metal company with development projects in Canada and Peru.  In 2006, Ms. Kent completed Century’s acquisition of the San Juan Gold Mine in southern Peru and acquired the Company’s Rosario de Belen Mine in northern Peru in 2007.  In addition to increasing production and reducing cash costs at its operations, Ms. Kent is currently exploring other opportunities for both Companies in Latin America.

Rodney Lake Investment Analyst George Washington University Investment Office

Rodney Lake is a Senior Investment Analyst in George Washington University’s (GW) Investment Office.  Under the direction of the Chief Investment Officer, the office is responsible for managing the University’s $1.1 billion endowment fund.  Mr. Lake’s responsibilities include developing investment themes, as well as identifying and recommending implementation strategies including the use of derivatives across all asset classes.   Additional responsibilities include monitoring existing managers, performing due diligence for new investment opportunities, monitoring economic, political and geopolitical factors globally, as well as tracking capital flows in the public and private markets.  Mr. Lake is also the Teaching Assistant for the Applied Portfolio Management course in the MBA program at the University.  The primary focus of this course is a student-managed $1.5 million portfolio within of the University’s Endowment Fund. Previously, Mr. Lake was a Senior Financial Analyst in the Executive Vice President and Treasurer’s Office at GW.  In this capacity he served as an internal consultant for projects raging from financial model building to developing spin-out strategies and valuations for internal businesses.    Prior to joining GW he was a Financial Analyst in the mortgage division of California Federal Bank performing valuations for portfolio acquisitions, divestitures, and marks-to-market via proprietary valuation models. Mr. Lake graduated cum laude, from West Virginia Wesleyan College with a B.S. degree in business.  He attended graduate school at The George Washington University and received an MBA in finance.

Maurizio Levi-Minzi  Partner  Debevoise & Plimpton

Maurizio Levi-Minzi is a corporate partner who focuses on cross-border acquisitions and project finance transactions in the energy and natural resources sector.  Mr. Levi-Minzi is a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions and Project Finance Groups and is Co-Chair of the firm's Energy & Natural Resources Group. Mr. Levi-Minzi joined Debevoise as an associate in 1993 and became a partner in 2001.  From 1997 through 1999 Mr. Levi-Minzi was resident in the firm’s Hong Kong office.  Prior to joining Debevoise, he was a banker with NMB Bank (ING Bank) in New York.  Mr. Levi-Minzi is fluent in Italian and Spanish and reads Portuguese.  He is a member of the International Bar Association. Mr. Levi-Minzi is a 1993 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and holds an M.B.A. in Finance from Golden Gate University.  He received a degree in Lettere e Filosofia from the Universitá degli Studi di Trieste in Italy.  Mr. Levi-Minzi is a member of the New York bar.

Ari Levy Vice President & Director TD Asset Management

Ari Levy is lead manager of the TD Energy and TD Resource Funds and is co-manager of the TD Precious Metals and TD Income Trust Capital Yield Funds. He is also co-manager of the TD Private Income Trust Fund and TD Private Income Trust model for TD Waterhouse Private Investment Counsel. His primary research responsibility is coverage of numerous sectors for the Global Energy, Base Metals and Fertilizer Products sectors. Ari has additional responsibilities as the Product Specialist for all Active Equity products managed by TD Asset Management Inc. Ari spent several years as the Global Energy, Industrials and Autos Analyst for Goodman & Co. Investment Counsel and was the co-lead analyst on several of their sector funds before joining TD Asset Management in early 2002. Prior to this, he was senior analyst, Canadian Equities for a major Canadian pension fund. He sits on the Board of Directors of several non-profit organization including a community daycare centre and Rethink Breast Cancer. He is a graduate of the combined Law/MBA program (BCL, LL.B. and MBA) and has a BA (economics) all from McGill University. He is a CFA charterholder and is currently enrolled in the Chartered Business Valuator (CBV) program. He is also a member in good standing of the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Dan MacInnis President/CEO Mag Silver

Dan MacInnis is a registered professional geoscientist (P.Geo.) with almost thirty years of global experience in the exploration industry. Working within the Noranda/Hemlo and Battle Mountain Gold organizations he held a number of senior management positions in Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Canada and the United States. This included Director of Exploration for North and Central America for Battle Mountain Gold. Most recently he was Vice President of Exploration for Sargold Resources Corporation in Italy. Mr. MacInnis has extensive global experience in property evaluation and acquisition, joint venture negotiations and mineral exploration program implementation. Mr. MacInnis has also been involved in a number of significant gold and base metal discoveries in Ireland, Newfoundland, Nevada and Mexico. He has been CEO and a director of MAG Silver since 2005.

Sharon Maharg  Director, Global Origination & Syndication  WestLB

Fred McMahon  Fellow, Annual Mining Survey Coordinator  Fraser Institute

Hernan Martinez Torres  Minister of Mining & Energy  Ministry of Energy & Mining

Acting Minister of Mines and Energy, Mr. Hernán Martínez is a chemical engineer with a post graduate degree in hydrocarbon management at North Western University. He has been a distinguished leader in the private and public arena, who has occupied different positions such as Corporative Planning Manager at Esso, CEO of Exxon –Mobil Colombia, President of the coal complex Intercor during the last 16 years and member of academic organizations such as the Universidad del Norte. In the public area, he has been delegated by the President to various Board of Directors such as the National Hydrocarbon Agency, Electric Interconnection System-ISA  and Transelca. In his current position, his efforts are concentrated on fostering the exploration and production of hydrocarbons and developing new hydroelectric and thermal generation projects, and promoting small and medium mining industry.

Shawn Miller  Director Environmental & Social Risk Management  Citi

Shawn Miller is Citi's global Director of Environmental and Social Risk Management in its Markets and Banking Unit based in New York City. Mr. Miller advises senior Citi management and staff on environmental and social risk issues; is responsible for internal implementation of the Equator Principles and its broader Environmental and Social Risk Management Policy; leads policy development and training efforts, and has been lead co-drafter of the revised Equator Principles (2006).  Prior to joining Citigroup in 2004, he was employed for 8.5 years with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector investment arm of the World Bank Group, as a social development specialist where he focused on environmental and social policy development, reviewed projects, and was the first IFC staff member dedicated to advising on and managing IFC’s relationships with the environmental advocacy/NGO community. Shawn has has received multiple commendations from the Financial Times Sustainable Banking Awards for his leadership in the field. He holds a graduate degree from The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University (NY).

Anoop Mishra  Minster of Economics  Indian Embassy (Washington, DC)

Jorge Neher  International Partner  Macleod Dixon

Jorge's practice areas include mining law, electricity law, oil and gas, energy law, environmental law, foreign investments, administrative law and international commercial law. Jorge’s mining practice is the largest in the country. It includes advice to major and junior mining companies on acquisitions, joint-ventures, corporate and project finance, regulatory and environmental matters, development of projects of precious and base metals, precious stones, industrial minerals, coal, etc. He has also structured mining transactions in several countries in Latin America.   Jorge’s experience in the electricity field includes counselling domestic and international clients in matters concerning privatization of integrated and distribution utilities; overseeing bidding processes for BOOs (Build Own & Operate) and BOTs (Build Operate & Transfer) of hydro and thermo-generation facilities; advising on regulatory matters regarding integration facilities as well as on installation and construction of IPPs (Independent power producer) and dedicated power-lines. Jorge joined the firm as Principal in 2003, after seven years as Partner of his own law firm in Caracas. Before that he was an Associate for four years and Partner for two years at a Venezuelan law firm of international repute (1989-1994). During 1993 he worked together with the London law firm Linklaters and Paines.

Mark Orsmond  Corporate Finance Manager  Sterling Mining

Mr. Orsmond has extensive experience in the corporate finance area where he has spent most of  his working career. He has worked on numerous listings, mergers, acquisition and financings for both public and private companies. Prior to joining Sterling Mining Company, he worked for the Minco Mining Group as CFO. He is a Principal of Mercantile Consulting, specializes in corporate finance and accounting.

Olle Ostensson  Chief Director of the Commodities Branch  UNCTAD

Olle Östensson is Chief of the Diversification and Natural Resources Section of UNCTAD's Division on International Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities. He is responsible for UNCTAD’s work on how commodity production and trade affect developing countries, including analyses of new issues and trends in world commodity markets and the relationship between commodity production and poverty reduction. Olle Östensson is a graduate of the Stockholm School of Economics in Stockholm, Sweden. After graduation, he spent ten years with the Swedish Ministry of Industry, working on issues related to mining policy. He joined UNCTAD in 1985, where, in addition to being involved in cross-cutting international commodity policy issues, he has worked on mining and its relationship to economic development, both at the macro and micro level. He is the author of a large number of official United Nations reports on commodities policies as well as of technical papers and articles.

Neil Paragiri  Managing Director- Head of North America  Harcourt Alternative Investments

Neil is the Managing Director and the Head of North America for Harcourt. Neil is also the portfolio manager for Harcourt's Latin America focused fund of fund. Prior to joining Harcourt, Neil was a Managing Director at Measurisk, where he was the head of sales and marketing for four years. At Measurisk, he was credited for developing innovative risk transparency solutions for the hedge funds and funds of hedge funds. Previously, Neil worked at Bankers Trust for five years where he was a Vice President and business manager for risk management service group. Neil started his career at Bankers Trust in the area of structured derivatives. Prior to joining Bankers Trust, he spent two years as Senior Management Analyst at Cincinnati Bell and also worked as Project Engineer for five years in the field of aerodynamics. Neil received his MBA in finance from Columbia University and also holds two other Master’s degrees in aerospace engineering and systems engineering from the University Maryland, College Park. He received undergraduate degrees in mathematics and aerospace engineering.   Harcourt Investment Consulting AG is a leading fund of hedge funds company head quartered in Zurich with offices in New York, Hong Kong, Madrid, Stockholm, and Geneva. Harcourt currently manages in excess of USD 4.5 bn in hedge fund investments.

Don Poirer  VP- Corproate Development  Hecla Mining Company

Steve Ralbovsky   Pricewaterhouse Coopers

Steve Ralbovsky is PricewaterhouseCoopers' US Mining Industry leader. He is also PwC's US and Global Mining Tax practice leader.  Steve joined PwC’ Phoenix office in 1987 after spending several years with another firm in Washington, DC.  Steve’s 28 year tax career has focused on large, multi-national entities, primarily in the mining industry.  He and the mining managers and staff provide compliance, IRS audit assistance, due diligence reviews, structuring, depletion reviews and other consulting services. He works with a core team of mining tax specialists that directly or indirectly serve the Firm’s US mining clients and its foreign clients with US operations. Steve and the team host internal calls and produce external bulletins detailing current US mining tax updates. They wrote and produced the CD-based continuing education course entitled “The Basics of US Mining Taxation.”  Steve hosts PwC's North American School of Mines; the 12th Annual School will be held in Scottsdale, AZ in May 2008.  He and his group also publish an annual summary of effective income tax rates for the industry, the Global Mining Industry - Effective Tax Rates Comparison.  Steve is integrally involved in the Firm's US mining GAAP initiatives. He led the Firm's formation of the Mining SEC Working Group, which has gained autonomy and is now working with the SEC on current US mining GAAP issues.

Arturo Rodriquez Portfolio Manager Juno Mother Earth Asset Management
Co-Founder and Portfolio Manager, Juno Mother Earth Asset Management 17 Years of commodities futures and options trading experience Fortis Finanz AG, Prudential Securities Responsible for commodities trading, portfolio management and implementation of hedging strategies Wrote thesis on agricultural commodities Degree in Financial Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Anthony Santelli Founder AES Capital

Scott Sibley Chief, Minerals & Commodities Section Department of Interior, USGS

Trained as a geologist and geochemist, Scott Sibley has spent his entire career of more than 30 years with the U.S. Government in the minerals information field, working first at the U.S. Bureau of Mines, specializing in cobalt and nickel, and serving in a supervisory capacity in the ferrous metals area.  When the Bureau of Mines was closed by Congress in 1996, the minerals information function was transferred to the U.S. Geological Survey, and he continued supervision of ferrous metals specialists, becoming Chief of the Metals Section in 2004 and Chief of the Mineral Commodities Section, Minerals Information Team, in 2007.

John Sullivan Vice President of Exploration Excellon Resources

Mr. Sullivan is the vice-president of exploration for Excellon Resources Inc., which is committed to building value through production, expansion and discovery.  He has over 35 years of experience in the mineral industry, having held senior positions with Noranda Inc. and Watts, Griffis and McOuat Limited. He has directed exploration programs, managed field offices, and evaluated projects in Canada, Europe, and Latin America.  Most recently a senior geologist with Watts, Griffis and McOuat Limited ("WGM"), a Toronto-based international geological and mining engineering consulting firm, he has evaluated properties and prepared National Instrument 43-101 reports on gold and base metal projects in Canada and internationally. Prior to joining WGM, Mr. Sullivan worked at Noranda Inc. (now Xstrata) for 18 years. His final posting was as the Director of the El Morro project in Chile, where he was responsible for all aspects of the exploration and mineral resource estimation on the Copper-Gold porphyry deposit that is presently the subject of a feasibility study.

Peter Tinoco Vice President of the Mining Division Cisneros Group of Companies

As Executive President of the Fundación Cisneros, Mr. Pedro Tinoco is responsible for its operations. The Cisneros Foundation is involved with programs on Education, Health, Culture, Environmental and Social-Responsibility activities in Latin America. Mr. Tinoco is also the President of Venevision Studios LLC and Venevision Productions LLC., both companies located in Miami, Florida and dedicated to the productions of television programs for the Hispanic population of the United States and the rest of the world. Since October 2001 Mr. Tinoco is the acting managing director of the Cisneros Group of Companies Chairman’s (GAC) Family Office, directing and supervising all legal, administration, accounting and operations of Mr. Cisneros personal and family properties and investments which include activities like tax, estate, gift and charitable planning; generational wealth transfer planning; insurance coverage analysis; cash flow planning; investment strategy; coordination with external legal and tax advisors; bill paying and book keeping. Mr. Tinoco has also been Vice President of Mining of the Cisneros Group of Companies (CGC) since 1989. He was responsible for the Joint Venture between CGC and Golf Fields Limited, formerly Gold Fields of South Africa and until now managed the mining development projects that are currently under option with ValGold a Canadian Mining Company.  Mr. Tinoco was the President of the Venezuelan Mining Chamber for two consecutive terms, President of the Venezuelan Gold Association and Director for the Mining Industry in the Federation of Industrial and Commercial Chambers (FEDECAMARAS) of Venezuela. He was also the President of the Latin American Mining Organization (OLAMI) from 1996 to 2006 where he is still an active member. Mr. Tinoco has been in the Cisneros Group of Companies since 1978. He started his career with the Group as Real Estate Manager of CADA’ Supermarkets. In 1979 he was promoted to assistant of the Vice Presidency/General Management of CADA. He was also General Manager of Burger King (1981); General Manager of O’Caña (1983); Assistant General Manager of Venevisión (1986) and Director of the Cisneros Group of Companies President’s Office (1987). Mr. Tinoco holds a Master Degree in Business Administration from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Emporia Kansas State University.

Marcello Veiga Chief Technical Advisor Global Mercury Project

Carlos Villegas Minister of Hydrocarbons & Energy Bolivia