Executive Management

Mr. Johnson has over 40 years of mining industry experience with the majority of his experience focused on the development of diamond deposits in Brazil, Central and South Africa and Canada. He was responsible for the acquisition, financing and development of the Braúna diamond mine. Ken has been active in Brazil for 20 years and is one of the leading diamond experts in that country. He was the founding director of Lipari Mineração Ltda. and has been President and Chief Executive Officer of the Brazil-registered company since 2011. He was also Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Vaaldiam Mining Inc. from 2010 to 2012, a TSX-listed company that was formed as a result of a merger between Tiomin Resources Inc. and Vaaldiam Resources Ltd. Prior to that merger, Ken was President and Chief Executive Officer of Vaaldiam Resources Ltd. (1997-2010), a TSX-listed company that he formed in 1997 to develop diamond deposits in central and southern Africa, and in Brazil. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of Caussa Capital Corporation (1999 to 2003) which operated the Barberton Gold Mine in South Africa, and was Executive Vice-President of Asquith Resources Inc. (1986 to 1999) which discovered the Passandro gold deposits in the Central African Republic. During that same period (1986 to 1999), Ken was the Executive Vice-President of United Reef Limited and was responsible for the discovery and development of the Bamingui alluvial diamond deposit in joint venture with the Trans Hex Group of South Africa. Between 1982 and 1986, Ken was a senior project geologist with ACA Howe International Ltd. and a project geologist in the minerals division of AMOCO Canada Petroleum Company Ltd. Ken holds a B.Sc. degree in geology from the University of Windsor, Canada and has completed certification courses in South Africa and Canada related to the valuation of natural diamonds.  Mr. Johnson is fluent in English (native) and has an advanced level of fluency in Portuguese