# Pensana appoint new Chief Operating Officer and Metallurgical Manager

- Link: https://www.directorstalkinterviews.com/pensana-appoint-new-chief-operating-officer-and-metallurgical-manager/412966711
- Published: 2021-03-08T07:24:16+00:00
- Author: Giles

**Pensana Plc** ([LON:PRE](https://www.directorstalkinterviews.com/company/pensana-rare-earths-plc/pre.l))
today has announced two key appointments.

Rocky Smith has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer. Rocky is a highly experienced
Chemical Engineer with 35 years’ rare earths experience. He was Managing Director
of Molycorp’s Mountain Pass rare earth project in California, US, which is now owned
by New York Stock Exchange listed MP Materials.

Rocky is one of the few western mining executives with in-depth knowledge of the
rare earth industry, including the supply chain, operational start-up and running
complex chemical processes.

At Mountain Pass, Rocky was responsible for building the project and delivering 
operational readiness. He established the training systems, Quality Management and
in accordance with “Zero Harm”, the highest possible health, environment and safety
performance standards.  More recently, Rocky was CEO of ASX listed Peak Resources.

Roy Gordon has been appointed as Metallurgical Manager. Roy is a senior hydrometallurgist
with more than 10 years’ experience across international projects in support of 
the High Value Manufacturing and advanced manufacturing economies. Roy worked previously
with Rocky at Peak Resources.

He has built and optimised projects supporting magnet and battery manufacture and
holds an MBA from Curtin University and a Double Major in Chemistry and Mineral 
Science from Murdoch University.

The appointments have been made with immediate effect. They underpin Pensana’s commitment
to establish the world’s first fully sustainable mine to magnet metal supply chain
from the rare earth oxide separation facility proposed at the world-class Saltend
Chemicals Park in the Humber, Yorkshire.

> **Pensana plc Chairman Paul Atherley commented:**
> “We warmly welcome Rocky and Roy to the growing Pensana management team ahead 
> of our developments at Saltend and in Angola and our ambition to establish the
> world’s first fully sustainable mine to magnet supply chain.
> Rocky is a hugely talented Chemical Engineer with outstanding experience across
> the global rare earth industry. His knowledge in establishing processing operations
> will be extremely valuable as the Company commences development of the proposed
> processing facility at Saltend.
> We are also pleased to welcome Roy, who has previously worked with Rocky and will
> be a major contributor to the growing operational team.”

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