VANCOUVER, May 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Rockwell Diamonds Inc. ("Rockwell Diamonds" orthe "Company") (TSX: RDI; JSE: RDI; OTCBB: RDIAF) is pleased toannounce the appointment of Mr. James Campbell as President and ChiefExecutive Officer of the Company with effect from 1 June 2011.
James joins Rockwell Diamonds from Lucara Diamond Corp where he was theVice President - New Business. Prior to this he was Managing Directorof African Diamonds plc ("AFD"), listed on London AIM and the BotswanaStock Exchange, for a period of four years until its acquisition byLucara in December 2010. During this time he played an instrumentalrole in the process which led to the award of a Mining License for AK6,Lucara's flagship diamond project in Botswana.
Prior to joining AFD, James worked at De Beers for over twenty years.His career there culminated in his appointment as General Managerresponsible for advanced exploration and resource delivery in theGlobal Mining and Exploration group.
James holds a degree in Mining & Exploration Geology from the RoyalSchool of Mines (Imperial College, London University) and an MBA withdistinction from Durham University. James is a Fellow of the Instituteof Mining, Metallurgy & Materials, Chartered Engineer (UK), CharteredScientist (UK), a Professional Natural Scientist (RSA) and a member ofthe Institute of Directors of South Africa.
Commenting on his decision to join the Company, James explains that:"Rockwell Diamonds has overcome a number of significant challenges inthe last two years, and is on the verge of delivering on its growthpotential. It has exciting investment plans to leverage its projectsand sustainably ramp up carat production. During the process ofevaluating this opportunity, both the projects and the management teammade a positive impact on me, resulting in my decision to join theCompany."
"We are delighted to welcome James as the new leader of RockwellDiamonds. He brings a wealth of experience gained in the diamond sectorat this crucial time when Rockwell Diamonds is embarking on furtherinvestments to achieve its objective of ramping up monthly productionto 10 000 carats within six years," says David Copeland, Chairman,Rockwell Diamonds. "We are confident that with his knowledge andunderstanding of the industry he will make a meaningful contribution tounlocking the underlying value of the Company."
No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the informationcontained in this news release.
Forward Looking Statements
Except for statements of historical fact, this news release containscertain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicablesecurities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterizedby words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe","anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements thatcertain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Although theCompany believes the expectations expressed in such forward-lookingstatements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are notguarantees of future performance and actual results or developments maydiffer materially from those in the forward-looking statements.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from thosein forward-looking statements include uncertainties and costs relatedto exploration and development activities, such as those related todetermining whether mineral resources exist on a property;uncertainties related to expected production rates, timing ofproduction and cash and total costs of production and milling;uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary licenses,permits, electricity, surface rights and title for developmentprojects; operating and technical difficulties in connection withmining development activities; uncertainties related to the accuracy ofour mineral resource estimates and our estimates of future productionand future cash and total costs of production and diminishingquantities or grades if mineral resources; uncertainties related tounexpected judicial or regulatory procedures or changes in, and theeffects of, the laws, regulations and government policies affecting ourmining operations; changes in general economic conditions, thefinancial markets and the demand and market price for mineralcommodities such and diesel fuel, steel, concrete, electricity, andother forms of energy, mining equipment, and fluctuations in exchangerates, particularly with respect to the value of the US dollar,Canadian dollar and South African Rand; changes in accounting policiesand methods that we use to report our financial condition, includinguncertainties associated with critical accounting assumptions andestimates; environmental issues and liabilities associated with miningand processing; geopolitical uncertainty and political and economicinstability in countries in which we operate; and labour strikes, workstoppages, or other interruptions to, or difficulties in, theemployment of labour in markets in which we operate our mines, orenvironmental hazards, industrial accidents or other events oroccurrences, including third party interference that interruptoperation of our mines or development projects.
For further information on Rockwell, Investors should review Rockwell'sannual Form 20-F filing with the United States Securities and ExchangeCommission www.sec.com and the Company's home jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedar.com.
SOURCE Rockwell Diamonds Inc.