Diamond Fields International Ltd.
has appointed an additional director to its board.
Following the recent announcement that Ed Flood had agreed to join the
DFI board of directors, the company has further
strengthened its board, with the appointment of John Sisay as a director.
Mr. Sisay was born in Sierra Leone and completed his formal education in
the United Kingdom, where he graduated with a BA (honours) degree from the
University of London, and later an MBA from the European Business School.
Mr. Sisay started his career working with De Beers, in London. He also
spent several years in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the new business
division of America Mineral Fields (subsequently renamed Adastra
Minerals Inc. and recently acquired by First Quantum Minerals Ltd.), whose main
asset was the Kolwezi copper/cobalt tailings joint venture in that country.
Mr. Sisay, who is a director of Sierra Rutile Ltd., was a senior
member of the team responsible for bringing the highest grade natural rutile
mine in the world (Sierra Rutile Ltd.) back into production. He was
particularly involved and responsible for the successful conclusion of
financing arrangements for the mine from the European Union, in Brussels, and was also involved
in extensive negotiations with the government of Sierra Leone in furtherance
of the mine restart. The Sierra Rutile mine was subsequently consolidated
within the Titanium Resources Group, and admitted to the AIM exchange
in London, in August 2005. In his current role as vice-president of corporate
affairs for Sierra Rutile, Mr. Sisay is responsible for maintaining a close
working relationship between the company and all of the Sierra Leone
government institutions, stakeholders and international shareholders.
Mr. Sisay is also chief executive officer of the TRG Foundation, which is responsible for
sustainable development programs for the local mining communities. Mr. Sisay
is the president of the Sierra Leone Chamber of Mines and has also acted as an
independent adviser to the government of Sierra Leone on mining-related
matters.
The company believes that Mr. Sisay’s knowledge, experience and extensive
contact network in the mining industry, particularly in Africa (including
West Africa, where DFI has made gold and kimberlite discoveries as previously
announced), will prove invaluable as it aggressively advances its diamond, gold
and base metal assets in Liberia, Madagascar, Namibia and Zambia, as well as
in its search for new high-quality mineral projects.
Concurrent with this new appointment, Roger Daniel, DFI’s president and
CEO, is standing down as a director of the company. Mr. Daniel is relocating
for personal reasons to Australia from Cape Town, South Africa, where the
company is based, and is thus regretfully leaving the company. He will be
staying on as president and CEO until the year-end, and thereafter will be
available to DFI as a consultant to assist in the handover of responsibilities
to the new CEO. The company is actively seeking his replacement.
