James W Cameron Jr, Chairman

Mr James Cameron Jr. was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Petropavlovsk PLC on 15 October 2018 and as Chairman on 17 August 2020.

Mr Cameron, a US qualified lawyer, has extensive international experience, providing expertise and consulting services for companies particularly in the natural resources sector within Russia and the former Soviet Union, since 1988.  He was formerly Founder, CEO and Chairman of Occupational Urgent Care Systems Inc., a company traded on the NASDAQ National Market System until it was sold in 1992.

Mr Cameron is a member of the Nominations and Safety, Sustainability & Workforce Committees.

 

Charlotte Philipps, Senior Independent Director

Ms Charlotte Philipps was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Petropavlovsk PLC on 8 November 2019 and as Senior Independent Director of Petropavlovsk PLC on 17 August 2020.

Ms Philipps has extensive experience in corporate financing and equity transactions in Russia and in other transitional former Soviet and CMEA countries, principally focused on natural resources. Ms Philipps is a member of the Strategy and Investment Committee of Inter RAO UES, Russia’s largest integrated utility company. In addition, she is a member of the Advisory Board of CAPTIS Intelligence Inc., a US-based global industry leader in security and crime prevention and chairs the Board of one of the UK’s largest architecture firms.

Ms Philipps, a German national and qualified lawyer, relocated to London in 1993 to join the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, where she held a number of senior positions, latterly as Senior Banker for EBRD’s Natural Resources Team, before accepting the appointment of President & CEO of AIG Russia Century Fund, Moscow. Ms Philipps lived and worked in Moscow during the period 2006 to 2014. Ms Philipps speaks a number of languages, including Russian.

Ms Philipps is a member of the Nominations, Safety, Sustainability & Workforce, Audit, and Remuneration Committees.

 

Mikhail Irzhevsky, Independent Non-Executive Director

Mr Mikhail Irzhevsky was appointed as a Independent Non-Executive Director of Petropavlovsk PLC on 16 April 2021.

Mr Irzhevsky has over 25 years of commercial experience with significant expertise in internal controls, governance, corporate law and M&A transactions, including in the resources sector and in Russia. Since 2018 Mr Irzhevsky has been the Deputy CEO for Legal Affairs of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Mr Irzhevsky joined the Board of Bank Trust in 2018 and has served as Chairman of the Audit Committee since 2019. From 2013 to 2018 Mr Irzhevsky was the Vice-President for Legal Affairs at PJSC Rostelecom and in 2016 – 2017 served on its Board of Directors. From 1999 to 2013 Mr Irzhevsky was practising law at the international law firm of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, including as a partner from 2007.

Mr Irzhevsky is a qualified lawyer, having studied at the Lomonosov Moscow State University, and is a former member of the Moscow Regional Bar Association.

Mr Irzhevsky is a Russian national and a fluent English speaker.

Mr Irzhevsky is a member of the Audit, Nominations, Remuneration, and Safety, Sustainability & Workforce Committees.

 

Evgeny Potapov, Non-Executive Director

Mr Evgeny Potapov was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Petropavlovsk PLC on 12 July 2021.

Mr Potapov currently serves as vice president for development and strategy at Uzhuralzoloto Group of Companies (‘UGC’), a role he has held since July 2020.

A graduate of the Irkutsk State University Law School with a degree in civil law, Mr Potapov began his career in entrepreneurship and, since 2001, has held a series of senior executive positions in major natural resources companies, including coal producer Vostsibugol, steelmakers Evraz Group and Industrial Union of Donbass, Norilsk Nickel, fertilizer giant Uralkali and iron ore producer Metalloinvest.

Mr Potapov was nominated as a Director of Petropavlovsk by UGC, the Company’s largest shareholder.

Mr Potapov is a member of the Nominations and Safety, Sustainability & Workforce Committees.

 

Roman Deniskin, Independent Non-Executive Director

Mr Roman Deniskin was appointed as a Independent Non-Executive Director of Petropavlovsk PLC on 11 April 2022.

Mr Deniskin has over 20 years of operational and strategic experience in the mining, metals and minerals industries in Russia and Kazakhstan, with a focus on strategic planning, business transformation and human capital development. Since 2021, he has been co-owner and director of Belka Digital, a company offering solutions for automating and optimising minerals processing to the mining industry throughout Eurasia and Latin America.

Mr Deniskin holds a BA in math and mechanics from Moscow State University and an MA in economics from University of Michigan. He began his career at McKinsey & Company in 1995 before joining Severstal Resources as chief executive in 2002. He subsequently served as chief executive at gold producer Pavlik and, in 2018, briefly as CEO and Director of Petropavlovsk, and held senior management positions at Boston Consulting Group, Rostec, Eurasian Resources Group, and diamond miner Alrosa.

Mr Deniskin is a member of the Audit and Remuneration Committees.

 


In Memoriam

Malay Mukherjee

Mr Malay Mukherjee, independent non-executive director, passed away on 29 January 2022.

Malay Mukherjee’s illustrious career in the metals and mining industry spanned the globe over more than four decades. From 1993 to 2009, he worked in management roles at companies that now make up metals group Arcelor Mittal. From 2004 to 2009, he was variously chief operating officer of Mittal Steel, senior executive vice president of Arcelor Mittal and a member of the Board of Directors of Arcelor Mittal. He subsequently served as CEO of Essar Steel Global.

Mr Mukherjee was a recipient of the MECON Award from the Indian Institute of Metals, a member of the Kazakhstan Academy of Natural Sciences and a life member in the Indian Institute of Metals. He was awarded a letter of appreciation from the President of Kazakhstan for his achievements while working in the country from 1995 to 1999. He held a master’s degree in mining from Moscow State University (then the USSR State Commission in Moscow) and was a fluent Russian speaker.

Mr Mukherjee joined the Petropavlovsk Board of Directors in August 2020, chaired the Board’s Safety, Sustainability & Workforce Committee and was a member of the Nominations, Audit, and Remuneration Committees. He concurrently served as lead independent non-executive director of JSW Steel Ltd., one of India’s leading steel companies.

Malay was a consummate professional and Petropavlovsk benefitted hugely from his wise counsel and profound industry experience in emerging markets. His intelligence and insight will be sorely missed by everyone at Petropavlovsk who good fortune to work alongside him.