VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Oct. 5, 2015) -North American Nickel Inc. (TSX VENTURE:NAN) (OTCBB:WSCRF) (CUSIP: 65704T 108) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has appointed Mr. Christopher Messina as a Director to the Board of the Company and Mr. Mark Thompson has joined the Company's Advisory Board.
Mr. Messina holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Chicago and an MBA in Finance from the Australian Graduate School of Management and has 22 years of international experience in the global capital markets, private equity, commodities and technology. Mr. Messina is an advisor to a number of technology companies in the big data analytics and artificial intelligence industries, including his current role as SVP, Business Development at Arria NLG plc. and previously held the position of CEO and Co-Founder of RPA Capital, LLC, a New York and Bermuda based boutique investment bank and alternative asset management firm.
Mr. Messina was formerly Managing Partner of Mannahatta Partners LLC, where he advised multiple global exchanges, private equity firms and sovereign wealth funds and worked with Goldman Sachs in New York and Goldman Sachs JBWere in Australia in operational risk, proprietary investments and quantitative research.
Mr. Thompson is a metals and mining specialist and has extensive knowledge of the mining sector in both public and private markets. Mr. Thompson is currently the executive Chairman of Treliver Minerals Ltd, non-executive Director of TSX-V listed Margaret Lake Diamonds Inc and holds a number of other directorships in private companies engaged in mineral exploration.
He is a former Chief Investment Officer and co-founder of Galena Asset Management Ltd, the fund management arm of Trafigura Beheer b.v., and partner at Apollo Management, one of the world's largest alternative asset managers. Mark holds a masters degree in Physics from Oxford University.
NAN CEO, Keith Morrison, commented: "We are pleased to welcome Mr. Messina as a director and Mr. Thompson to our Advisory Board and believe they will add considerable value and strength to our team.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Mark Fedikow for his great work, efforts and leadership during his role as Director to the Board. With Mr. Messina's appointment, Mr. Fedikow has resigned as Director and will remain with the Company as President."
Exploration update
The 2015 exploration program at Maniitsoq has concluded, with 30 diamond drill holes completed for a total of 5,655 metres. The drilling focused on follow-up of previously intersected nickel-copper mineralization and testing of regional exploration targets within the Greenland Norite Belt (GNB). Core samples have been submitted for analysis from nineteen of twenty holes which remain unreported and assay results are pending.
The Company has granted incentive stock options to certain advisors and directors of the Company to purchase up to 450,000 common shares in the capital of the Company pursuant to the Company's stock option plan. All of the options are exercisable for a period of five years at an exercise price of $0.20
About North American Nickel
North American Nickel is a mineral exploration company with 100% owned properties in Maniitsoq, Greenland and Sudbury, Ontario.
The Maniitsoq property in Greenland is a Camp scale project comprising 2,985 square km covering numerous high-grade nickel-copper sulphide occurrences associated with norite and other mafic-ultramafic intrusions of the Greenland Norite Belt (GNB). The >75km-long belt is situated along, and near, the southwest coast of Greenland, which is pack ice free year round.
The Post Creek/Halcyon property in Sudbury is strategically located adjacent to the past producing Podolsky copper-nickel-platinum group metal deposit of KGHM International Ltd. The property lies along the extension of the Whistle Offset dyke structure. Such geological structures host major Ni-Cu-PGM deposits and producing mines within the Sudbury Camp.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of the Company. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the ability to complete the port assignment, the ability of the Company to realize upon the benefit of owning the port, impact of mineralogy, estimation of mineral resources at mineral projects of the Company; economics of production; success of exploration activities; the future economics of minerals including nickel and copper; synergies and financial impact facilities; the benefits of the development potential of the properties of the Company and currency exchange rate fluctuations. Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan," "expect," "project," "intend," "believe," "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of the Company and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.
Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include difficulties realized in completion of the assignment, barriers to the assignment, difficulties in development of the assets and suitability of the port in relation to development of the assets of the Company, variations in metal grades, changes in market conditions, variations in recovery rates, risks relating to international operations, fluctuating metal prices and currency exchange rates, and other risks of the mining industry, including but not limited to the failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this press release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered if the property is developed.
Statements about the Company's future expectations and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and as that term defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbours created thereby. Since these statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the Company's actual results may differ materially from the expected results.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mark Fedikow, President
North American Nickel Inc.