Mawson West Announces CFO Appointment

PERTH, AUSTRALIA--(Marketwire - Jan. 17, 2013) - Mawson West Limited (TSX:MWE) ("Mawson West" or "the Company") announces the appointment of Mr Mark Di Silvio as the Company's Chief Financial Officer effective February 1, 2013. Mr Di Silvio brings to Mawson West more than 20 years' experience working in CFO and senior finance roles for a number of resource companies with extensive exposure to Africa, as well as listings on exchanges in Canada, Australia and United Kingdom. Mr Di Silvio is a CPA and holds an MBA from the University of Western Australia.

During his career, Mr Di Silvio has demonstrated an ability to provide financial solutions to complex situations involving governments and joint venture partners predominantly in Africa. He joins Mawson West from ASX-listed gold exploration company Ausgold Limited where he is CFO and Company Secretary. Prior to that, Mr Di Silvio was CFO at Centamin plc where he was part of the management team responsible for developing the Sukari gold project in Egypt. He was also CFO at Central Petroleum Limited and held senior financial roles at Woodside Energy and Goldfields Limited.

Mawson West Chairman, Anthony Lloyd, said: "We welcome Mark's appointment as part of the ongoing strengthening of our management team as we ramp up production from the Dikulushi cut back and progress construction of our new Kapulo mine. His experience working across the international resources industry, including African assignments whilst at Centamin and Woodside Energy, will be invaluable as we deliver on the business plan for Mawson West over the coming year and beyond.

Mr Di Silvio joins Mawson West following the resignation of Jonathan Asquith, who will assist the Company through a transition period.

Mr Lloyd added: "I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Jonathan for his contribution to Mawson West. Jonathan has been a key contributor to the Company's growth and financial management since 2006."

About Mawson West

Mawson West is a copper and silver-focused resource company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and based in Perth, Australia.

The Company's two key projects are the Dikulushi copper-silver mine and the Kapulo copper mine located in the South Eastern province of the DRC. Mawson West also continues to focus on exploring multiple prospective targets located within its significant land holding of approximately 7,300km² in the DRC's rich copper belt.