Key Engineering and Marketing Executives AppointmeAmazon Mining Appoints Engineering and Marketing Executives
Amazon Grants Stock Options to Management
Amazon Mining Holding Plc is pleased to announce the appointments of Mr. Pedro Ladeira as Vice President of Engineering and Mr. Eduardo Spolidorio as Marketing Manager.
Mr Ladeira, VP Engineering, has an extensive career in the cement manufacturing industry, where he was responsible for feasibility studies, project construction, start-up and operations. ThermoPotash production uses the same equipment, fuels and processes as cement. Mr. Spolidorio, Marketing Manager, has a successful track record introducing new products to the fertilizer market. He is also a PhD agronomist with extensive experience in the development and evaluation of new mineral fertilizers. Both Mr. Pedro Ladeira and Mr. Eduardo Spolidorio will report to Mr. Mauricio Sampaio, Vice President of Operations and Country Managing Director (see release dated June 9, 2010), a seasoned Brazilian executive and key reference in the fertilizer market.
Mr. Pedro Ladeira previously held the position of Operations Director at Cementos Minetti ("Cementos"). He was responsible for their two main factories from January 2007 to August 2010 and managed over 600 employees. Cementos is one of the largest cement producers in Argentina and part of Holcim Group, one of the world's largest cement producers. In his career, Mr. Ladeira was responsible for the construction and start-up of two cement plants with a cumulative capacity of 2.5 million tonnes per annum. From 1997 to 2006 Mr. Ladeira worked for Holcim in Brazil, holding different positions including Process and Production Manager where he developed significant expertise in project development, pyrometallurgy and alternative fuels usage. Mr. Ladeira graduated in Chemical Engineering and is completing a Masters in Technical Co-Processing, Chemical Engineering from UFMG (University Federal de Minas Gerais). Mr. Ladeira also holds an Executive MBA in Business Administration from Fundação Dom Cabral, Belo Horizonte.
Mr. Eduardo Spolidorio worked from 1997 to 2009 at Honeywell as an Agronomy Engineer and coordinator of its fertilizer research and development program in Brazil. Honeywell is a Fortune 100 company providing products and solutions in numerous industries including Agriculture. Mr. Spolidorio was responsible for research, development and marketing of mineral fertilizers, specifically coordinating the company's ammonium sulfate project in Brazil. Mr. Spolidorio also provided technical support and training to the largest companies in the Brazilian fertilizer sector including Bunge, Mosaic and Heringer. Mr. Spolidorio graduated in Agronomic Engineering from ESALQ/USP (Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz), Sao Paulo. He earned his Master's Degree and PhD in Science from CENA/USP (Centre for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture), with a focus on Mineral Nutrition of Plants.
President & CEO, Cristiano Veloso, said, "We have added key skills to our senior management team as the company transitions from preliminary economic assessment to full feasibility, product registration and plant construction. Both Mr. Ladeira and Mr. Spolidorio are exceptional professionals in their fields and bring a needed in-house expertise to Amazon and the Cerrado Verde project".
Other Matters
Amazon has issued 70,000 share purchase options to Mr. Pedro Ladeira and 42,000 share purchase options to Mr. Eduardo Spolidorio, exercisable at $2.30, expiring October 13, 2015, pending TSX regulatory approval.
About Amazon
Amazon Mining is a mineral exploration and development company founded by Brazilians in 2005. The company is focused on the development of Cerrado Verde project. Cerrado Verde is source of a potash rich rock from which Amazon plans to produce a slow-release, non-chloride, multi-nutrient, fertilizer product. Cerrado Verde, amenable to open pit mining, is located in central Minas Gerais in the heart of Brazil's vast Cerrado agricultural area. Amazon Mining is a UK public company with shares listed on the TSX Venture Exchange since November 2007.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Amazon Mining Holding Plc, Cristiano Veloso, President and CEO.