BMO Bank of Montreal has made some executive appointments in British Columbia. Rob Serraglio has been named senior vice-president for the B.C. division. He was previously VP of retail banking for the Greater Vancouver District. Reporting to Serraglio are three newly appointed executives: Joanne Gassman, VP of retail banking for Vancouver suburban district, who was previously VP for Vancouver Island; Michael Suzuki, VP of retail and commercial banking for Vancouver Island, who was previously commercial banking area manager for Vancouver Island district; and Jennifer Muench, VP of retail banking for Vancouver Centre district, who was previously personal banking area manager for downtown Vancouver. Richard Rudderham, senior VP for the B.C. division over the past four years, has been appointed senior VP for BMO Financial Group's Institute for Learning in Toronto. BMO has a network of 143 bank branches in B.C. and the Yukon.
Skeena Resources Ltd. (TSXV:SKE) has appointed David Stone to the position of VP for corporate development. Stone is also CEO of Boss Power Corp. and VP of Brett Resources Inc. Skeena is a junior mining exploration company active in North and South America. Its head office is in Vancouver.
Dr. Genhui Chen has been named president and CEO of Welichem Biotech Inc. (TSXV:WBI). Chen, a long-time director and company co-founder, replaces York Yingping Guo, who resigned for personal and family reasons. Welichem is developing drugs for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, and cancer.
Its head office is in Burnaby.
Launi Skinner, former president of the Starbucks coffee chain's U.S. operations, has been named president and chief operating officer of 1-800-Got-Junk. Company founder and CEO Brian Scudamore said he plans to move into a more traditional CEO role after 19 years of running his company, which went from a one-truck gig to a professional franchise system with sales of $125.7M. The privately held Vancouver company provides trash removal services in major cities across Canada.
Con-Space Communications Ltd. (TSXV:CCB) has promoted Alan Jakobsen to VP of sales for Con-Space and its subsidiary Search Systems Inc. Jakobsen started his career with CCB in November 1997 and has held a number of sales positions in the company. Con-Space provides specialized voice communication products, technical search, surveillance and inspection systems. Its headquarters are in Richmond.
Adriana Resources Inc. (TSXV:ADI) has engaged Joseph Fodor as its executive VP. Fodor brings extensive experience in legal and corporate finance. He has been a partner with Watershed Capital Partners since 2006. Adriana's goal is to become an integrated iron-ore producer through the acquisition of iron ore resources and development of its port facility in Brazil, and the development of its iron project in Quebec. Its head office is in Vancouver.
Rio Cristal Zinc Corp. (TSXV:RCZ) has hired Luis Egocheaga of Lima, Peru, as VP of community relations. Egocheaga has held public and private positions related to social programs and environmental initiatives. Rio Cristal is a Vancouver corporation focused on the discovery and development of zinc deposits in Peru.
Ron Bayne has assumed the role of interim president of IRI Separation Technologies Inc. (TSXV:IRI). Bayne is the company's chief marketing officer. Rick Stiksma, previously president and CEO as well as CFO, will retain his position of CFO. IRI is a West Vancouver biotech company that specializes in polyclonal antibodies for virus- and bacteria-related health issues.
Neil Lang has joined Day4 Energy Inc. (TSX: DFE), a manufacturer of solar electric modules, as chief operating officer. Prior to joining DFE, Lang served for five years as operations director for Hain Celestial. Day4 is headquartered in Burnaby.
Golden Dawn Minerals Inc. (TSXV:GOM) says David Dobson has resigned as president and CEO to focus on his private CA practice.
Dobson, who will continue as a director, has been replaced by Bill McWilliam, also a director. McWilliam has spent 27 years in the mining and exploration industry. Based in Vancouver, Golden Dawn is a junior exploration company with a portfolio of properties prospective for precious and base metals.
Paragon Pharmacies Ltd. (TSXV:PGN) says Peter Rose is resigning from his position as interim CFO on July 31 to pursue other opportunities. Paragon is headquartered in Kelowna and operates pharmacies and home health-care stores in Western Canada.
Yangtze Telecom Corp. (TSXV:SMS) says that following discussions with the TSX Venture Exchange, Emily Chen has resigned as president and been appointed a director and chair of the audit committee. Yangtze conducts its business via two subsidiaries - NBC Co. Ltd. in Mongolia (digital TV network) and Hunchun VAS Technology in China (technology licencing). Yangtze is headquartered in Vancouver.
DDS Wireless International Inc. (TSX:DD) has appointed Jim Zadra as its CFO effective July 14. Most recently, he served over five years as VP of finance for North America with Sophos. DDS provides software and services for wireless fleet management to the transportation industry. Its head office is in Vancouver.
Megastar Development Corp. (TSXV:MDV) says advisory board member Shawn Thomas has accepted the position of VP of business operations. Thomas brings more than 20 years of experience in government and business. Based in Vancouver, Megastar is engaged in the acquisition and development of mineral properties in Quebec and B.C.
Geologix Explorations Inc. (TSXV:GIX) has hired Jeffrey Wilson as VP of corporate communications. Wilson previously acted for the past five years as an independent investor relations consultant to several mineral exploration companies.
Geologix is an exploration company focused on gold properties in North and South America. Its head office is in Vancouver.
Vanessa Bachman has resigned as CFO of Premium Exploration, Inc. (TSXV:PEM), to be replaced by Grant Smith. Bachman is taking on additional accounting responsibilities for Premium in Idaho, where she resides. Smith was Premium's controller for the past year. Vancouver-based Premium is engaged in precious metals exploration in the U.S. and Mexico.
Shannon Matthyssen has joined Magnum Energy Inc. (TSXV:MEN) of Vancouver as VP of finance and CFO. Over the past three years Matthyssen has been a consultant for several private oil and gas companies. She replaces Allan Thompson, who served as interim CFO. Magnum is a recently incorporated company that was formed to participate in oil and gas exploration, development and production in Canada.
Skye Resources Inc. (TSX:SKR) has promoted David Bryson to CFO. Bryson, a CFO, had been Skye's VP of finance and treasurer since March 2007. Bryson succeeds Keith Service, who is transitioning to retirement. Skye is an international mining company focused on becoming a mid-tier nickel producer. Its corporate office is in Vancouver.
