July 25, 2016, Vancouver, BC – Western Potash Corp. (WPX: TSX) (FSE: AHE) (“Western”, “the Company”) is pleased to announce the following corporate updates. The appointments to management detailed below include the appointments to the positions of Milestone Potash Project Director, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Director of Administration in addition to a new external auditor.
The Company is pleased to appoint Dr. Matthew Wood as Western’s Project Director of the Milestone Potash Project. Dr. Wood has extensive potash solution mining, process and project management experience with two large multi-national mining companies, most recently in Saskatchewan. He joins the company to lead the project team that will move the Milestone Potash Project into production.
Dr. Wood is the former President of Vale Potash Canada Limited, and Senior Project Leader of Vale’s Kronau Project near Regina in Saskatchewan. Here he led the Geology and Drilling, Solution Mining, Land Environment and Community and Operational Readiness teams during the final Feasibility Study of the solution mining plant. He also led the design of the solution mining and wellfields both for Kronau Project, and Potasio Rio Colorado (PRC) in Argentina. Dr. Wood’s contacts, experience and knowledge of Saskatchewan will be of particular benefit to the Milestone Project.
The company is also pleased to announce the appointment of George Gao as Senior VP, Business Development. Mr. Gao brings extensive knowledge of the global financial market especially with regard to Asia and Canada. He brings decades of experience in corporate compliance, business development and capital markets.
Mr. Gao is the former President of the Beijing Mining Exchange (“BMX”), where he led the establishment of its mining project listing strategy, polices and practice. He has prior experience working for the Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange (“TSX”) as Chief Representative, Beijing Office and Head, Business Development, Asiaand played a major role in the establishment of the TSX presence in Asia, in particular in the natural resource sector.
The Company has also appointed Mr. Jerry Zhang to the position of Director of Administration and Assistant to the President. Mr. Zhang has nearly a decade of experience serving various levels of Chinese central governments in a wide variety of responsibilities in a range of operational assignments. During the more than 6 years that Jerry has been with Western, he has become increasingly involved with the development of the Company’s potash project and with the Company as it matures. Mr. Zhang obtained a PhD degree in International Relations from the University of Melbourne. Western continues to benefit from Jerry’s exceptional organizational and bilingual skills.
In order to meet the requirements of the company’s new development, the Company is in the process of appointing KPMG as its new external auditor. KPMG is one of the largest accounting firms in Canada with extensive knowledge of the mining industry.
Mr. Geoffrey Chang, Chairman of the Board comments that the new additions have strengthened the Company’s management and operations as the company moves toward completion of the current stage of engineering.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
“Geoffrey Chang”
Geoffrey Chang
Chairman