ECR appoints Head of Australian Operations

ECR Minerals plc (LON: ECR), the exploration and development company focused on gold in Australia, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mike McRae-Williams as Operations Manager for Australia, a non-Board management role.

Mike joins ECR following its acquisition of Paleogold, where he served as Exploration and Production Director, and brings approximately 35 years of mining industry experience together with extensive knowledge of the projects acquired by ECR through Paleogold.

His appointment comes at a pivotal stage for the Company as Maddens approaches its production phase and ECR increases operational activity across the wider Maddens Flat Group of Mines and its broader Australian portfolio. ECR has a 50% interest in the Maddens Flat Group of Mines.

Mike has worked closely with the Maddens Flat Group of Mines over a number of years and has detailed knowledge of the Maddens Underground Mine, processing infrastructure and operating team. He has previously contributed to upgrades to production and processing operations at Maddens and continues to play an active role in the preparation and optimisation of the processing circuit.

His experience also extends across the wider Maddens Flat Group of Mines, where ECR is evaluating additional opportunities including the Brothers and other historic workings across the project area. The Company expects Mike's combination of processing, metallurgical, underground and alluvial experience to be invaluable as activity increases across the broader Maddens Flat portfolio.

Mike also has detailed knowledge of the Salt Bush Gold Project in South Australia. He has been closely involved in developing the proposed work programme at Salt Bush, which is to include trenching, systematic sampling and metallurgical test work designed to improve understanding of the project as it progresses towards development. ECR owns 20% of the Salt Bush Gold Project.

Mike holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Melbourne and has extensive experience across project management, metallurgical assessment, process plant design, construction, commissioning and plant operations. During his career he has managed and designed gold processing operations ranging from underground mine treatment plants to large-scale tailings retreatment projects.

Mike also brings extensive alluvial gold experience, which the Company expects to apply across opportunities at the Brothers, Blue Mountain and potentially elsewhere within the Australian portfolio.

ECR Chairman Nick Tulloch commented: "Mike joins ECR at an important moment. As previously announced, Maddens is approaching its production phase and our priority is increasingly about operational execution on the ground.

"Few people know Maddens and the wider Paleogold portfolio as well as Mike. He has worked closely with the project and its processing infrastructure for several years and brings exactly the combination of practical mining, metallurgy and plant experience that we need as activity increases.

"Importantly, his skillset will be invaluable across the wider Maddens Flat Group of Mines, not just at the Maddens Underground Mine. As previously announced, we are already evaluating additional opportunities across the Brothers and the other historic workings, and Mike's knowledge of both hard-rock and alluvial operations gives us considerable flexibility as we seek to advance those projects.

"He also knows Salt Bush extremely well and brings valuable experience that can be applied across Blue Mountain and our other Australian opportunities.

"Mike already knows the projects, the people and the equipment. Bringing him into ECR on a senior management role provides continuity and additional operational leadership at exactly the point when we need it most."