Premium Nickel Resources Ltd. has announced the creation of Premium Nickel Resources International Metals Group (“PNR International Metals”), a new metals division of the Company.
Keith Morrison, CEO, commented: “PNR International Metals will develop direct relations with end consumers in the base metals markets, including electric vehicle (“EV”) battery manufacturers, with the intent to bridge information gaps and provide the Company with critical access to world markets and real-time information that will aid in decisions involving the production and sale of the nickel, copper, cobalt and platinum group elements (“Ni-Cu-Co-PGE”) that potentially could be produced principally from our 100% owned Selebi and Selkirk mines in Botswana.”
PNR International Metals – states a release – is made up of internationally recognized individuals including Neil Jamieson, Simon Grant-Rennick and Christopher Messina. This globally positioned team brings a wealth of experience, leadership and a diverse knowledge of the capital and metals market, including industrial metals, pricing and trading, supply chain, international relations and nickel and copper mining and processing operations. The extensive expertise of PNR International Metals will be leveraged to provide insight on technological developments and potential new product iterations of nickel and copper with the added benefit of constant flow of information to the Company as to the requirements and characteristics of new battery developments, commodity pricing and related commodity deal structures.
Neil Jamieson, President of PNR International Metals, commented: “The substitution of electric motors for internal combustion engines and the integration of batteries in renewable energy platforms are primary strategies for the world to transition to a decarbonized energy dependent future and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The success of the EV market and electrification is expected to drive new demand growth in copper, nickel and cobalt for the next few decades. PNR International Metals believes that new sources of supply to meet this increased demand are limited due to a low investment level in exploration for base metals, increasingly complicated regulatory environments, deeper, lower-grade orebodies and inflation in both CAPEX and OPEX. However, automotive manufacturers have been quick to begin transitioning to EVs to align themselves with global social expectations and are actively sourcing a new and direct supply of the key commodities required to commercialize the technologies supporting electrification, including EVs. PNR International Metals will produce real time data from end users that will refine our understanding of manufacturer requirements and PNRL’s ability to use this data when shaping its scoping studies. Ultimately this will reduce volatility and mitigate risk while increasing revenue and enhancing shareholder value.”
Neil Jamieson is an experienced Canadian financial executive who has successfully advised an extensive list of operating companies for over 30 years on their strategic financial relationships including with Private Equity Investment, Public Asset Managers, Capital Markets Advisory, Corporate Finance Services and Investment Banking. Mr. Jamieson provides, as a resident of Barbados and through a partnership with Merlin Partners LLP in London, England, assistance to a broad range of private and public companies in respect of international financing opportunities and incorporating bona-fide strategies to maximize efficiencies and tactical benefits in their strategic financial management.
Simon Grant-Rennick, a mining engineer with over 40 years’ experience in exploration, mining and sales with a special interest in industrial minerals. Mr. Grant-Rennick holds various directorships among an array of private and publicly listed companies. He is an experienced Chairperson skilled in negotiation, business planning, mergers and acquisitions, start-ups and risk management. He was the co-founder and principal of IMFH, a UK based industrial minerals consultancy group. He has had many years of arranging “off take” agreements and dealing with logistics in Africa.
Christopher Messina, an experienced investment banker with over 20 years’ experience in the capital markets. He has advised multiple global exchanges, commodity producers and traders, private equity firms, corporations and sovereign wealth funds. He is currently an advisor to artificial intelligence and big data software companies focused on applying advanced computational techniques to the global capital and national security markets. He has an AB in Anthropology from the University of Chicago, where he was a National Merit Scholar, and an MBA in Finance from the Australian Graduate School of Management.