Ross Bhappu, Chairman of the Board
Ross Bhappu is the Chairman of Molycorp’s Board of Directors and a partner at Resource Capital Funds. With a background in both metallurgical engineering and mining project finance, Ross has been in the industry for over 25 years with companies including Newmont Mining Corporation, GTN Copper Corporation, and Cyprus Minerals Company. He offers a perspective that combines both technical and financial expertise.
Constantine Karayannopoulos, Vice Chairman of the Board
Constantine Karayannopoulos is a Director of Molycorp and serves as the Board’s Vice Chair as well as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. A professional engineer, he previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Neo Material Technologies since 2005. Prior to that, Mr. Karayannopoulos was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Neo Materials, and also served as Vice President and General Manager of Neo’s rare earths business unit and Vice-President, Sales. Before joining Neo, Mr. Karayannopoulos was Manager, Business Development, for Praxair Canada Inc., and managed their new business acquisition efforts in Eastern Canada, as well as their commercial development activities in the Chemical, Petrochemical and Refining industries across Canada. From 1986 to 1994, he was in the Linde Division of Union Carbide Canada (now, Praxair Canada Inc.) as a Market Development Specialist, assuming successively more senior roles. Mr. Karayannopoulos is a Director of the Canada China Business Council, a Director of Lithium Americas Corp., and is a member of the Advisory Board at the University of Toronto’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry. He holds Bachelor and Master of Applied Science degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto.
Russell Ball
Mr. Russell D. Ball is Director of Molycorp Inc. Since July 2007, Mr. Ball has been the chief financial officer and since October 2008, he has been the executive vice president of Newmont Mining Corporation, a gold mining and production company. Before becoming chief financial officer, Mr. Ball held a variety of senior positions with the Newmont Mining Corporation, including vice president and controller from 2004 until 2007. Mr. Ball is both a chartered accountant in South Africa and a certified public accountant in the United States. Mr. Ball brings a unique and important understanding of finance and accounting in the international mining industry to board of directors.
Brian Dolan
Mr. Brian T. Dolan is Director of Molycorp, Inc. Mr. Dolan has been a partner of RCF Management, L.L.C., a company that provides management services to the several Resource Capital Funds, since January 2002. Mr. Dolan is currently serving as a member of the board of directors of the following companies: Fund Three Inc.; Fund Four Inc.; Fund Five Inc.; American Tripoli, Inc.; CDU Drilling Pty Ltd.; Connors Drilling LLC; Dampier International; Dampier Master Fund; NYCO Mexico; NYCO Minerals LLC; RCF IV Speedwagon Inc.; Resource Capital Funds Foundation; Rolling Rock Minerals, Inc.; and Sanderson Drilling Pty. Mr. Dolan is also currently serving in the following executive officer positions: assistant secretary of American Tripoli, Inc.; secretary of HR Lincoln Holdings, Inc.; vice president and assistant secretary of NYCO Minerals LLC; vice president and secretary of RCF IV Speedwagon, Inc.; vice president of Resource Capital Funds Foundation; vice president and secretary of Rolling Rock Minerals, Inc.; vice president and secretary of Tarn Drilling LLC; and vice president and secretary of Tecate Minerals LLC.
John Graell Moore
John Graell Moore is a Director of Molycorp, Inc. His professional career started in a consulting company, INECON, in Santiago, Chile. In 1980, along with other businessmen, Mr. Graell created DICOM, a Chilean company dedicated to provide sources of consumer and commercial data. From 1982-1985, Mr. Graell administered Compañía General de Fuerza Eléctrica (CONAFE), an electricity generator and distributor in Valparaíso, Chile. In 1986, Mr. Graell became General Manager of Carburo y Metalurgia S.A, a ferroalloy producer in San Bernardo, Chile. He joined Molibdenos y Metales S.A. in 1992 as General Manager and became Molymet’s CEO in 2004. He served as the President of the International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) from 2001 through 2005. Mr. Graell is chairman of the Board of Directors of Molymex, Chemiemetall, Carbomet Industrial S.A.,Carbomet Energía S.A. Inmobiliaria San Bernardo S.A., Molymet Corporation, Sadaci N.V. and Strategic Metals B.V. He also is member of the board and has proprietary interests in companies of the consulting, construction, wine and agriculture areas. Mr. Graell holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidad de Chile. He is an avid golfer.
Charles Henry
Charles R. Henry is Director of Molycorp, Inc. Mr. Henry is currently the president of CRH, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in government and defense organizational and acquisition issues; he has been associated with CRH since its formation in 1993. In 1990, he received charter from the Bush Administration to reorganize Department of Defense Contract Administration. He led a successful consolidation team and consolidated the defense industry’s approximately $780B contracts organization while reducing overall contract management cost by $500M from pre-consolidation annual costs. In 1996, he authored a book on leadership and management that detailed effective organizational changes in fast-moving environments. From 1997-2001, he lead an Environmental Engineering company in California, and from 2001-2003 he was appointed by a Presidential-appointed board to organize and lead the congressionally chartered “Veterans Corporation,” a non-profit designed to promote entrepreneurial activities of veterans. From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Henry was the chief operating officer of CEG Company, a producer of wiring harnesses for military vehicles. He has served on the board of directors of Gaming Partners International, a gaming products company, since June 2006. Mr. Henry is a retired two-star general who served 32 years in the U.S. Army. With his background in management, Mr. Henry brings organizational acumen to the Molycorp board of directors.
Mark Kristoff
Mr. Mark S. Kristoff is Director of Molycorp Inc. Since April 2005, Mr. Kristoff has been the chief executive officer of the Traxys Group, a global metal trading, marketing and distribution company with annual revenues of approximately $4 billion. Before becoming chief executive officer, Mr. Kristoff was the chief operating officer of the Traxys Group from its founding in January 2003 until April 2005. Prior to the formation of the Traxys Group, Mr. Kristoff was the president of Considar Inc. from 1991 until 2003. Mr. Kristoff s experience in global trading, financing, supply chain management, and distribution of metals and REE’s provides insight to our board of directors regarding existing and potential opportunities in the rare earths markets. Mr. Kristoff graduated from Cornell University with a BA in Economics in 1984.
Alec Machiels
Mr. Alec Machiels is Director of Molycorp, Inc. Mr. Machiels has served as a partner at Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P., a private equity fund manager, since May 2006. Prior to becoming a partner at Pegasus, Mr. Machiels was as vice president from June 2004 until May 2006 and an associate from August 2002 until June 2004. Mr. Machiels served as a member of the board of directors of Coffeyville Resources, LLC, an oil refinery and ammonia plant in Coffeyville, KS, from 2003 until 2005 as well as a member of the board of directors of Merisant Company, a manufacturer and distributor of sugar substitute sweeteners, from 2005 until 2008. He has served on the board of directors of Traxys S.A., a global metal trading and distribution company, since January 2006. He started his career as a financial analyst in the Financial Services Group at Goldman Sachs International in London and in the Private Equity Group at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York from July 1996 until June 1999. From July 2001 to July 2002, Mr. Machiels served as chief executive officer and chairman of Potentia Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mr. Machiels attended Harvard Business School from August 1999 to June 2001 and received an MBA. Mr. Machiels also received a masters in law from KU Leuven Law School in Belgium and a masters in international economics from Konstanz University in Germany. His background in financial management and investment in commodity-related businesses provides board of directors with a perspective on strategic, financial and capital raising matters.
Jack Thompson
Mr. Jack E. Thompson is a Director of Molycorp, Inc. From December 2001 until April 2005, he was the vice chairman of Barrick Gold Corporation, a gold mining company. Mr. Thompson has served as a member of the boards of directors of number of companies, including the following: Tidewater, Inc., an offshore oil services company; Anglo American, a mining company; Century Aluminum Co., an aluminum smelting company; Stillwater Mining Co., a palladium and platinum mining company; Rinker Group Limited, a sand and gravel company; Centerra Gold Inc., a gold mining company; and Phelps Dodge Corporation, a copper mining company. Mr. Thompson brings a deep knowledge of the mining industry and many years of broad management experience to the Molycorp Board of Directors.