Elvis has left the building. No2.

THE BOURSE WHISPERER: The regular game of musical chairs continues within the boardrooms across the resources industry. The Whisperer pokes his head down the corridors of power to take a quick look at some of the chairs to have recently been vacated and to find out which ones have been filled:

Warathah Resources appoints new managing director
 
Waratah Resources has appointed William (Chub) Witham as the company’s new managing Director.

Waratah described Witham as a highly regarded exploration professional who has held senior positions with mining sector companies in technical and commercial roles.

He has over 20 years of experience in the mining industry, including previously holding senior roles with Whinnen Resources Limited, Australia Metals and Mining Group and was a founding director of both DMC Mining Limited and Aspire Mining Limited.

Waratah chairman Peter Bennetto, expressed the board’s satisfaction at the appointment of Witham.

“His experience, broad industry credibility and particularly his energetic management approach will complement the skills profile of the Waratah board,” Bennetto said.

“With Mr Witham’s guidance, Waratah will aim to build a substantial Mineral Resource in the next year, and the Company will also focus on the rapid commercialisation of its assets.”

Maintaining the love Witham said he looks forward to leading an ASX-listed company at such an exciting stage of its development.

Twiggy appoints new Twiggy

Fortescue Metals Group chairman Herb Elliott announced that Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest will retire as Chief Executive Officer effective 18 July.

The move is to coincide with the eighth anniversary of the company’s establishment.

Forrest anointed the search for a worthy successor three years ago, giving his charges plenty of time to locate somebody worthy. A formal global search was conducted over the past year.

As a result of this search, FMG found its new man standing in the company kitchen with Elliott announcing Twiggy’s successor as Fortescue’s current chief operating officer Nev Power.

Forrest’s retirement didn’t last long following his acceptance of a unanimous invitation from the Fortescue board to assume chairmanship of the company at the board’s next meeting in August.

Hunt for Red October geologist over

Red October Resources has appointmented experienced Canadian geologist, and copper specialist, Greg McGilvray as senior project geologist.

McGilvray will be responsible for the company’s Yellowstone copper project in the central Asian republic of Kazakhstan.

Mr McGilvray has more than 20 years’ experience as a geologist, specialising in the discovery and development of copper systems across Southern, Central and Northern America and southern and eastern Africa.

“Yellowstone is an exciting copper project to be involved with. It has the potential to become a major world-class copper operation and this is a great opportunity for us to develop a large copper ore body of a scale usually only found in the hands of the major mining companies,” Mr McGilvray said.

McGilvray’s appointment was welcomed by company managing director Ross Smith.

“Red October is pleased to be able to further strengthen its technical capacity to deliver projects by attracting a geologist of Greg McGilvray’s experience and expertise,” he said.

Resignation of Aussie Q Resources CEO

Aussie Q Resources advised the market that its chief executive officer Charles Carnie has decided to leave the company for personal reasons.

Carnie will cease employment with Aussie Q on a date to be agreed but no later than 29 July.

New Vital director

West African gold explorer and Queensland tungsten developer, Vital Metals has appointed Doug Stewart as a non-executive director of the company and special advisor to the Watershed tungsten project.

Vital chairman David Macoboy said the appointment to the board is effective immediately.

“We are delighted to have attracted a Director of Doug’s experience and calibre to the Board,” Macoboy said

“Doug has worked in a wide range of senior technical, consulting and operational roles during the course of an expansive career that spans more than 40 years.

“His broad technical and commercial experience in the resources sector is going to be extremely valuable to Vital as we focus on advancing our flagship Watershed tungsten project through the Bankable Feasibility stage, and progressing our gold exploration program in Burkina Faso.”

Stewart also holds non-executive board roles with Conquest Mining and Alara Resources and has a project management role with Red Hill Iron.