Who we are
Fireweed is a Canadian mineral development company focused on sustainably exploring and developing critical metals projects while creating value for our shareholders, partners, and stakeholders.
We will do this in a way that reflects our core value of respect, both for the environment we work in and for the people we work with.
Our collaborative and responsive nature will result in meaningful and trusting relationships with employees and local communities, and in successful partnerships that benefit Indigenous Peoples and shareholders.
Fireweed’s vision is to sustainably explore and develop critical metals assets to support the transition to a low-carbon economy.
We will focus on leading with integrity, striving for consistency in words and actions, being honest, transparent, and accountable, mitigating health and safety risks, and being progressive and innovative while promoting environmental and social stewardship.
The Company currently has three projects located in northern Canada: Macmillan Pass Zinc-Lead-Silver Project, Mactung Tungsten Project, and Gayna River Zinc-Gallium-Germanium Project.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Brandon Macdonald
CEO
Mr. Macdonald is a professional geologist with a diverse experience base including exploration geology worldwide and investment banking.
In recent years he has focused his efforts in exploration and development as a principal of and consultant to various junior mining companies. In the past he was in the City of London where he worked in structuring financings and risk management at Macquarie Bank. In 2007 Mr. Macdonald graduated with an MBA (with Distinction) from Oxford.
He completed his B.Sc. in Geology from UBC in 2000. Mr. Macdonald has a long history of mining exploration work in Yukon, including zinc projects, and originally hails from Ross River, near the Macmillan Pass Project site.
George Gorzynski
Executive Vice President
George Gorzynski is co-founder of the company and a geological engineer with 35 years of experience in exploration and mining company management.
He has strong technical, management and leadership skills, and was a key person in the building and managing of several successful international junior mining and exploration companies.
His technical experience ranges from management of large exploration projects in challenging settings to geology field work in isolated locations to oversight of mining operations. Mr. Gorzynski has geological engineering degrees from the University of Toronto (Honours) and University of British Columbia and has worked on a number of zinc projects in British Columbia and Yukon.
James Scott
Senior Vice President Projects
Mr. Scott brings diverse experience in geology, studies, engineering, innovation, project management, and leadership in the advancement of projects from exploration through to acquisition and early development.
For eight years Mr. Scott was the technical lead on Kaminak’s Coffee Project leading up to and following acquisition by Goldcorp Inc. for $520M. Previously, he had led the resource definition program for Richfield’s Blackwater Davidson project which led to its acquisition the following year by New Gold Inc. for $550M. Mr. Scott holds an M.Sc. from the University of Alberta and a B.Sc. from Carleton University.
Pamela O’Hara
Vice President Sustainability
Pamela O’Hara is a Registered Professional Biologist with a unique blend of professional experience plus academic training.
Pamela has extensive and proven experience in acquiring approvals for complex mining and transportation infrastructure projects and understands the complex environmental and regulatory landscape.
In the Yukon in recent years, she has been involved in the preparation of the Goldcorp/Coffee Mine (Yukon) YESAB project proposal and completed mine closure assessments for Yukon Energy, Mines and Resources. From 2005 to 2012, she was VP Environment & Community Affairs for Yukon Zinc/Wolverine Mine (Yukon), overseeing the successful implementation of the socioeconomic participation agreement with Kaska First Nations and obtaining project approvals for mine construction and operation.?Pamela believes that authentic, mutually respectful connections among people, as well as working towards shared common goals, are essential to achieving a sustainable future.
Cindy Chiang, CPA, CA
Chief Financial Officer
Ms. Chiang is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with experience in both public practice and industry since she became a Chartered Accountant in 2009.
During her time in public practice at KPMG, Cindy led audit engagement teams domestically and abroad and is knowledgeable of Canadian and US accounting standards as well as IFRS.
In the industry, Cindy dealt with financial accounting and internal controls matters. Since May 2021, Ms. Chiang has been the Financial Controller for Fireweed and in recent months has transitioned into her new role as Chief Financial Officer.
Jack Milton
Chief Geologist
Dr. Milton has spent the past 13 years working on projects across Yukon, NWT, and BC.
He has a passion for testing new ideas and technology in the exploration environment and brings experience from grassroots exploration, resource expansion, and developing advanced-stage projects. Dr. Milton has expertise in sedimentary rock hosted base metal deposits, and the geology of the northern Canadian Cordillera, with multiple publications in international, peer-reviewed journals. In 2015, he completed a Ph.D. in Geological Science at the Mineral Deposit Research Unit, University of British Columbia focusing on the Redstone Copperbelt. Prior to this he completed an M.Sc. in Mining Geology, and a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Applied Geology at the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London and a Professional Geologist (BC).
Moira Cruickshanks
Vice President Technical Services
Moira Cruickshanks has over 14 years’ experience in mineral exploration and mining in North America, working with junior and major exploration companies and in operating mines in Yukon, NWT, and BC as well as the USA and Mexico.
Moira combines her background in mineral exploration, mining and data management and analysis to oversee technical services solutions for the Fireweed team. Her experience includes oversight of large drill programs at Teck’s Highland Valley Copper Mine, including resource, geotechnical and environmental drill programs, as well as designing and implementing project-appropriate data collection and management systems for multiple exploration and mining projects. Moira holds an undergraduate M.Sc. from Imperial College London and an M.Sc. from the University of British Columbia.
Kelly Bateman
Vice President Studies
Ms. Bateman is a Professional Geologist with over 10 years of experience in the exploration and consulting industries, with a focus on northern Canada. Her unique experience in project controls, project/asset evaluation and development enable her to confidently lead the Fireweed team through technical engineering studies and support permitting efforts.
Her experience includes five years working in the Yukon on the Wellgreen Deposit, as Chief Geologist managing the field operations and drill programs as the project advanced through Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) to Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS). She then transitioned to providing consultancy services, working for JDS Energy & Mining as a Financial Analyst for six years, developing economic cash flow models, from scoping level/due diligence efforts through to Feasibility Study-level to support NI 43-101 reports. This experience as Financial Analyst provides a unique understanding of the factors that are integral to development at any project stage. Kelly played an integral role as Project Controls Manager working on Goldcorp’s Coffee Project as it advanced through the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board process and detailed engineering prior to the acquisition by Newmont. She is currently a director on the board of Commander Resources Inc. Kelly holds a B.Sc. (Hons) from Queen’s University in Geological Sciences and is a Professional Geologist registered with Engineering and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC).
Board of DIRECTORS
John Robins
Chairman & Director
Mr. Robins is a professional geologist with over 35 years of experience mainly as an independent geologist and entrepreneur.
Mr. Robins has been involved in many successful exploration ventures and sat on the Boards of several successful exploration companies. Most recently he was Founder, Executive Chairman & Director of Kaminak Gold Corporation which discovered the Coffee Gold Deposits in Yukon and sold the company to Goldcorp for $520 million.
In 2008 Mr. Robins was recognized for his achievements in mining exploration by the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia with the H.H. “Spud” Huestis Award. This is recognized as the highest award given for mineral exploration and is awarded to those who have made “a significant contribution to enhance the mineral resources of British Columbia and/or the Yukon Territory, through the original application of prospecting techniques or other geoscience technology.
Brandon Macdonald
CEO & Director
Mr. Macdonald is a professional geologist with a diverse experience base including exploration geology worldwide and investment banking.
In recent years he has focused his efforts in exploration and development as a principal of and consultant to various junior mining companies. In the past he was in the City of London where he worked in structuring financings and risk management at Macquarie Bank. In 2007 Mr. Macdonald graduated with an MBA (with Distinction) from Oxford.
He completed his B.Sc. in Geology from UBC in 2000. Mr. Macdonald has a long history of mining exploration work in Yukon, including zinc projects, and originally hails from Ross River, near the Macmillan Pass Project site.
Adrian Rothwell, CPA, CA
Director & Audit Committee Chair
Mr. Rothwell (Chair) has worked in the mining industry for over 25 years with extensive experience in oversight and corporate governance roles.
Mr. Rothwell is currently President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Angold Resources Ltd. Previously he was the Director, Strategy at Goldcorp Inc., and acted as Chief Financial Officer for many companies listed on the TSXV.
Mr. Rothwell is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) in British Columbia and a designated Chartered Accountant in Australia & New Zealand. He articled at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Australia and Canada and holds a BA in Economics from Macquarie University.
George Gorzynski
Executive Vice President & Director
George Gorzynski is co-founder of the company and a geological engineer with 35 years of experience in exploration and mining company management.
He has strong technical, management and leadership skills, and was a key person in the building and managing of several successful international junior mining and exploration companies.
His technical experience ranges from management of large exploration projects in challenging settings to geology field work in isolated locations to oversight of mining operations. Mr. Gorzynski has geological engineering degrees from the University of Toronto (Honours) and University of British Columbia and has worked on a number of zinc projects in British Columbia and Yukon.
Peter Hemstead, CPA, CMA
Director
Mr. Hemstead has over 25 years of finance experience and has a proven track record of providing strong financial leadership.
He has extensive experience in financial management, corporate finance, project finance, treasury, commercial banking, marketing/sales, financial risk management, insurance, and tax planning. Mr. Hemstead is a Chartered Professional Accountant with an Honours Economics degree from the University of Western Ontario.
He is the Chief Financial Officer of Bluestone Resources Inc., since 2017, where he is a key executive in financing and moving the Cerro Blanco gold project toward production. He previously held a senior financial executive role for 10 years with Capstone Mining Corp., leading the financial team through the successful expansion from a development stage mining company to an intermediate copper producer.
Marcus Chalk
Director
Prior to founding GenCap Mining Advisory in May 2020, he spent the past 14 years leading the Vancouver mining investment banking team at Scotiabank. Prior to that, he was at Macquarie North America (Toronto and Vancouver) and CIBC Wood Gundy (Toronto, Sydney and Vancouver).
He holds a Honours Business Administration and a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario and is a CFA Charterholder.
Peter Hairsine
Director
Mr. Hairsine is an asset development specialist with more than 20 years of experience in mining and resources and a representative of Fireweed’s large shareholder, Ibaera Capital.
He is a former Project Study Manager and Manager of Business Development for Fortescue Metals and Study Manager at WorleyParsons. Mr. Hairsine is currently a partner in Ibaera Capital, a private equity fund that specialises in future facing minerals investment. He is part of Ibaera’s Investment Committee, serves on the boards of two privately held companies and is currently the Investment Manager for all of Ibaera’s assets.
Jill Donaldson
Director
Ms. Donaldson is a senior corporate and securities lawyer with extensive experience working with boards in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, strategic planning and implementation, governance and stakeholder relations, and compliance and risk management.
Jill holds her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a director of Prospera Credit Union and Chair of its Governance and Nominations Committee and member of its Business Transformation Committee and is also a director of Canuck Place Children’s’ Hospice. Jill was a director of Great Bear Royalties Corp. and Chair of its Special Committee with respect to its recent acquisition by Royal Gold. As an independent director, Jill brings significant governance and transactional experience as well as risk management experience, a strategic mindset and financial acumen.
