Management
Rob Henderson, MBA
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Henderson is a professional engineer and seasoned mining executive with 35 years of experience in operations, capital projects, and mining finance. Most recently, Mr. Henderson was President and CEO of Amerigo Resources Ltd., a copper producer with assets in Chile. He oversaw a successful $95 million debt financing to complete a major expansion project, safely increased production, lowered cash costs and extended the life of the operation to 2036. Prior to Amerigo, Mr. Henderson was SVP Technical Services with Kinross Gold Corporation
Mr. Henderson started his career as an engineer at Rand Mines Limited in South Africa. He joined DeBeers in 2002 as Assistant Head of Technical Services, and later spent 10 years as Project Manager at two well-known engineering firms, Hatch Ltd. and Kilborn Engineering Ltd. Between 2006 and 2012 he was Senior Vice President of Technical Services at Kinross Gold Corporation. Mr. Henderson holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering and an MBA, both from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. He is a member of the Professional Engineers Ontario and a director of BQE Water, a TSXV-listed mine water treatment company.
Neil Hepworth, M.Sc.Eng
Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Hepworth is a Mining Engineer with over 30 years of experience in underground mining operations and technical and operational experience in open pit mines. He has strong technical knowledge of geology and geotechnics. Mr. Hepworth has operational experience throughout Latin America, Africa and Europe, with extensive experience in Brazil and Mexico. He holds an M.Sc. Engineering (Mining) and a B.Sc. Honours (Geology) from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, and speaks Spanish and Portuguese.
Jim Zadra, CPA, CA, MBA
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Zadra joined Great Panther in September 2011 and has responsibility for corporate finance, including financial reporting, planning & forecasting, taxation, and treasury. Mr. Zadra is a Chartered Accountant and has over 15 years of experience in senior corporate finance roles with significant experience in the areas of financial reporting, taxation, strategic planning, capital markets, M&A and corporate governance.
Prior to joining Great Panther, Mr. Zadra served over three years as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary of DDS Wireless International Inc. (DD: TSX). Prior to DDS he was Vice President of Finance, North America, at Sophos, (2003-2008) a leading global information technology security company with a offices in 19 countries. Mr. Zadra has also held senior roles at ActiveState Corporation, Canaccord Capital and Deloitte, and has served as a director for several venture stage public companies.
Mr. Zadra holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Queen's University and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of British Columbia.
Fernando Cornejo, M.A.Sc, P.Eng
Vice President Operations, Brazil
Mr. Cornejo was appointed Vice-President of Projects & Technical Services in July 2019 and promoted to Vice President, Operations Brazil in March 2020. He brings close to 20 years of experience in senior management level roles in the mining industry.
Before joining Great Panther, Mr. Cornejo served as Vice-President, Projects & Technical Services of Aura Minerals Inc. where he successfully led the re-engineering and subsequent re-start of two open pit and underground mining operations in Brazil and Mexico. Prior to that, he held executive roles with Jacobs Engineering and the SGS Group in Canada, Peru and Mexico. Mr. Cornejo also held operational roles with Rio Tinto in Canada and BHP Billiton, in his native Peru.
Mr. Cornejo holds a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal, a Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering from Universidad Nacional de San Agustin Peru, a Master Certificate in Project Management from York University and is a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario. Mr. Cornejo is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Brian Peer, B.A.Sc.
Vice President Operations, Mexico
Mr. Peer was appointed Vice President of Operations, Mexico in August 2017 and has more than 30 years of mining experience including 19 years in senior management. Most recently, he was General Manager with Red Eagle Mining in Colombia, responsible for implementing new narrow vein mining methods. Previously, Mr. Peer held the position of Country Manager, Mexico for Alamos Gold, where he was responsible for the safe and efficient operation of two mines and the development of two additional underground mines. Mr. Peer also worked for Coeur Mining and for ten years at Barrick Gold. He is a graduate from the University of Texas El Paso with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology and is fluent in Spanish.
Mariana Fregonese, B.Sc.
Vice President, Social Responsibility
Mrs Fregonese has over 14 years of experience working in the mining industry in Canada. As Vice President, Social Responsibility, she leads Great Panther’s overarching social performance and stakeholder engagement strategy. Mrs Fregonese joined the Company in 2007 and since 2014 has been committed to advancing social and sustainable development of the local communities in which Great Panther operates. She is responsible for a diverse portfolio, focused on building strategic partnerships and fostering relationships with communities, governments, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to maximize the benefits of mining locally, and to achieve effective and sustainable community development.
Mrs Fregonese holds a bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy (Hons) from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is a certified Sustainability Practitioner (CSR-P) certification issued by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. Mrs Fregonese is a member of the stewardship group of the Social Practice Forum established to provide active leadership on social performance around the world. She also serves as a member of the Board of Women in Mining, BC.
Lucie Gagnon
Vice President, People & Culture
Ms. Gagnon joined Great Panther in April 2019 as Director of Human Resources. She brings over 15 years of human resources experience focused in the finance and mining industry. She will be responsible for the Company's people strategy and providing leadership in the areas of organizational design, talent acquisition and management, learning and development, and workforce planning. Ms. Gagnon holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology from York University in Toronto.
Shawn Turkington, CPA, CA
Vice President, Finance
Mr. Turkington was appointed Vice President, Finance in February 2020.
Mr. Turkington has over 20 years of experience in senior finance and corporate reporting roles. Prior to joining Great Panther, Mr. Turkington worked as an independent consultant providing interim CFO services and IFRS/US GAAP advisory services to companies across a variety of industries. Mr. Turkington was also a founding partner of Breakwater Accounting Advisors LLP, a Vancouver-based professional services firm providing accounting, regulatory compliance and data analysis services primarily to companies in the mining industry. In addition, Mr. Turkington spent six years at Methanex Corporation as Corporate Controller. He has a depth of knowledge and leadership experience in financial management, regulatory compliance and internal controls.
Mr. Turkington holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.
David Wiens, CFA
Vice President, Corporate Finance & Treasury
Mr. Wiens was appointed as Vice President, Corporate Finance & Treasury in September 2019.
He is a versatile financial professional with over 16 years of experience in progressive investment banking and corporate roles in Canada and the United Kingfom, focussing on the metals and mining sector. He has a depth of leadership and experience in corporate finance, treasury, business development, financial planning and analysis, investor relations, and marketing. Before joining Great Panther, David was Director, Corporate Finance at SSR Mining, where he spent six years. Prior to that, David spent five years in investment banking roles in London, including most recently in the Metals and Mining team at Deutsche Bank.
Mr. Wiens holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia and is a CFA Charterholder.
Meghan Brown, MBA
Vice President, Investor Relations
Ms. Brown is a investor relations professional with a 25-year track record in the mining sector. Most recently she was Vice President, Investor Relations with Leagold Mining Corporation, which merged with Equinox Gold in March 2020. Prior to Leagold, Ms. Brown served as Director, Investor Relations at Endeavour Silver Corp. from 2013 to 2017. Ms. Brown holds a BA from UBC and an MBA from Queen’s University and is the Chair of the Board of the Canadian Cancer Society BC/Yukon.