TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 12, 2012) - CHAMPION IRON MINES LIMITED (TSX:CHM)(OTCQX:CPMNF)(FRANKFURT:P02) ("Champion" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Mr. Beat Frei has been appointed the Company's Director of Project Finance, Europe. Throughout his career Mr. Frei successfully executed mandates in various areas including corporate and infrastructure/project finance. Mr. Frei will be based in Switzerland.
Prior to commencing his role as a financial advisor in the commodities field in 2000, Mr. Frei worked for more than 20 years in various positions at Credit Suisse/CSFB (Vice President) and as a Director of UBS AG. More recently, Mr. Frei contributed significantly to the upgrade of several steel and metal plants in the Middle East and CIS countries, was Finance Director of Klöckner & Co., Germany (a leading steel distribution company), was engaged by global steel traders such as Duferco SA, Switzerland and Balli Group, UK and advised SMS Demag AG, Germany (a leading equipment maker for the steel industry). Furthermore, Mr. Frei held the position of CFO with OOO Enisey, a mid-size Russian oil company which transformed into an integrated oil company by building the world's most northerly-located refinery in Usinsk. Significantly, projects which were completed and advanced with Mr. Frei's input had a value of more than US $2 billion and were mainly financed with debt instruments.
Thomas Larsen, Champion's President and C.E.O. stated, "We are very pleased to have Beat join our team. His global experience as a financial advisor to both steel companies and other resource commodities-based industrial corporations will benefit Champion greatly as we complete the Feasibility Study at the Company's wholly-owned Consolidated Fire Lake North Project and continue with its development. Champion is pursuing a strategy of not only focusing on building alliances with Asian based end users but also targeting customers that are more proximal, such as those in Europe and the United States. Fire Lake North's high quality hematite sinter feed combined with the very high ratio of silica to alumina at 10:1 positions Champion as one of the few potential iron ore suppliers that can attract steel mills who produce premium products with the advantage of cheaper seaborne shipping rates."