Gunnar Nilsson
Non-Executive Chairman
Gunnar Nilsson was appointed as non Executive Chairman in June 2018. Gunnar was previously a Director of Northern Aspect Resources Limited, which was acquired by Rupert Resources in May 2018. Prior to this he held senior roles at Johnson & Johnson and Svenska Cellulosa/Mölnlycke before retiring to act as a private investor. Gunnar has over 30 years’ experience of developing and operating businesses in Europe and through joint venture companies outside Europe.
Graham Crew
Chief Executive Officer
Graham Crew joined Rupert Resources in October 2024. Graham Crew has over 25 years of experience in international mining management, corporate development and investment across a diverse range of jurisdictions and operations.  Before joining Rupert Resources he was Chief Technical Officer for La Mancha Resource Capital. Prior to this he was Chief Operating Officer and a Director at Golden Star Resources Limited and previously Operations Manager for La Mancha Resources Australia Limited during the expansion of Frog’s Leg mine and the development of Whitefoil mine and the Mungari Processing Facility. Graham holds a B.Eng (Mining Engineering) from the West Australian School of Mines (WASM), is a Member of the Australian Institute of Corporate Directors (MAICD) and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy (FAusIMM).
Riikka Aaltonen
Non-Executive Director
Riikka Aaltonen joined the Board of Rupert Resources in January 2024. Previously, Riikka was a Senior Adviser working with permitting and mineral policy from 2008 to 2023 in various departments of the Finnish Government at national level in Helsinki and latterly for the Regional Council of Lapland in Rovaniemi. Prior to this, Riikka worked in exploration and mining in both Finland and Sweden with roles for Boliden and LKAB. Riikka holds an MSc in Geology and Mineralogy from the University of Turku, Finland.
Andre Lauzon
Non-Executive Director
Andre Lauzon joined the Board of Rupert Resources in October 2023 and chairs the Technical Committee. Andre also acts as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Hudbay Minerals leading Hudbay’s international operating teams and responsible for business development, technical services, exploration and corporate social responsibility. He has over 25 years of international experience in technical, operations, and executive management roles at global mining companies, including Vale Inco where he provided technical expertise to the company’s global base metal mines and managerial oversight of various milling and mining operations. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Geology and a Master of Science specialization in Geostatistics from Laurentian University.
Michael Ouellette
Non-Executive Director
Michael Ouellette currently serves as Chief Executive Officer for a US-based family office and has over two decades of executive leadership in the family office industry. Throughout most of his career, he has worked with closely-held companies, private and public investments, and on board governance including several appointments as a Director or an advisor for private and non-profit organizations. He has a degree in Business Management from the University of Maine and also holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy with a specialization in Financial Management from the Muskie School of Public Policy at USM. Mr. Ouellette will chair the Audit Committee of the Corporation.
Bill Washington
Non-Executive Director
Bill Washington joined the Board of Rupert Resources in December 2023. Previously, Bill was the Head of Global Mining & Metals at National Bank Financial Markets from July 2011 until his retirement from the firm at the end of 2015. He joined National Bank as part of the acquisition of Wellington West Capital Markets where he had served as the Head of Investment Banking since August 2004. Prior to joining Wellington West, where he was focused exclusively on the mining sector, Bill worked as an investment banker at National Bank Financial/First Marathon, Gordon Capital and Lancaster Financial/TD Securities from 1994. Bill holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Civil Engineering) from the University of British Columbia and has an MBA from the University of Western Ontario (Ivey). Bill also acts as an Independent Director for Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd and was previously a Director of Copper Mountain Mining Ltd until its acquisition by Hudbay Minerals Inc in June 2023.
Jeffrey Karoly
Chief Financial Officer
Jeffrey Karoly is a Chartered Accountant with a degree in Geology from the University of Bristol. He has worked in the mining sector for over 25 years including 11 years in corporate finance roles with Anglo American on three continents. Since 2008 he has been Chief Financial Officer of several listed junior resource companies including AIM & TSX-listed Horizonte Minerals and Condor Gold.
Jukka Nieminen
Managing Director of Rupert Finland
Jukka was instrumental in the acquisition of the Pahtavaara Project for the Company and is a geologist with over 20 years of experience in the mining industry. He started his career with Outokumpu at the Forrestania Nickel mines in Western Australia before returning to Finland to work as a mine geologist at the Pahtavaara and the Orivesi Gold mines. Latterly he was General Manager of Belvedere Mining’s Hitura nickel mine and CEO of the Belvedere’s Finnish operating subsidiary.
Thomas Credland
Head of Corporate Development
Thomas is a geologist with over 20 year’s experience in mining. Thomas began his career in the gold mining industry in Western Australia before returning to the United Kingdom to work as a mining analyst. He then worked in an institutional equity sales role at Canaccord before moving into a senior corporate position at a London listed mining company. Thomas holds a degree in Geology from the University of Edinburgh and a Masters in Mineral Project Appraisal from Imperial College, London.
Kalle-Pekka Kotiaho
Exploration Manager
Kalle-Pekka Kotiaho joined Rupert Resources in 2018 and was a key member of the Ikkari Discovery team from pre-drilling grassroots exploration in Area 1 to publication of its multi-million maiden resource in 2021. Kalle’s current focus is on developing understanding of Ikkari and potential satellite orebodies through the feasibility and engineering stages whilst progressing Rupert’s disciplined and systematic regional exploration campaign in parallel. Kalle is a geologist with an MSc in Geology from Åbo Akademi University from Turku, Finland Prior to joining Rupert Resources he worked on other mining and exploration projects in northern Fennoscandinavia.
Anniina Salonen
Environmental Manager
Anniina Salonen is an Environmental Engineer with over 10 years of experience in the mining industry. Prior to joining Rupert Resources in 2021, Anniina worked with First Quantum Minerals and Boliden at the operating Kevitsa polymetallic mine in Northern Finland, located 50km from Rupert Resources’ Ikkari Discovery. At Kevitsa, Anniina developed the mine’s environmental management and sustainable mining practices as well as managing relations with government authorities and environmental permitting processes. Anniina holds a BEng in Environmental Engineering from Savonia University of Applied Sciences and an MSc in Technology (Sustainability) from Lappeenranta University of Technology.
Craig Hartshorne
Resource Geologist
Craig is geologist with over 13 year’s experience in project evaluation and resource development in Europe and Africa. Prior to joining Rupert Resources, Craig began his career in Finland with Anglo American at the Sakatti Project before taking on roles in Zambia and Sudan. Craig holds a degree in Exploration and Resource Geology from the University of Wales, Cardiff and is a Chartered Geologist at the Geological Society of London.
Hillamaria Mäkinen
Human Resources and Communications Manager
Hillamaria Mäkinen is a human resources specialist with an MA English Philology from The University of Tampere and an MSSc in Leadership from The University of Rovaniemi. Hillamaria joined the company in 2021 to manage stakeholder engagement and communications and to progress the human resources function as the business in Finland develops.
André van Wageningen
Study Manager
André van Wageningen is a Mining Engineer and MBA with over 20 years of international experience from Canada, Sweden and Finland. Throughout his career his focus has been on mine planning and implementing mining technology advancements. Prior to joining Rupert Resources n 2023, André worked in the Nordic region for Boliden and Agnico Eagle in different mining related roles. André holds an MSc in Mining Engineering from Delft University of Technology and an MBA from Heriot-Watt University – Edinburgh Business School.