Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (Vancity) has appointed Tamara Vrooman as its new CEO effective Sept. 1. Vrooman has for the past three years served as deputy minister of finance and secretary to the Treasury Board for the government of British Columbia.
She replaces Dave Mowat, who recently joined ATB Financial in Alberta as president and CEO. Vancity is Canada's largest credit union, with $12.3 billion in assets, more than 363,000 members and 57 branches in B.C.
Tree Island Wire Income Fund (TSX:TIL.UN) says Garry Flesher, vice-president finance and chief financial officer, will retire by the end of the third quarter. Brian Irving, who currently serves as corporate controller, has been appointed to succeed Flesher. Irving will assume the title of VP special projects during the transition period.
In other company moves, Tree Island has filled three other senior management positions.
James Fan, who joined the company from Baoan International, the wire products manufacturer that Tree Island acquired earlier this month, has been appointed VP of international operations.
Mark Stock, previously VP of human resources at CHC Helicopter Corp., has been appointed VP of global human resources.
Dale Derischebourg, currently director of global operations with Lumasense Technologies, will be joining the company as VP of global supply chain later this summer.
Headquartered in Richmond, Tree Island Industries produces wire products for a diverse range of applications. Tree Island Wire Income Fund has a 100-per-cent ownership interest in Tree Island Industries.
New Media BC says its president, Lynda Brown, has decided to step down this fall after more than three years in the post. The board has established a selection committee to identify a successor. New Media BC works to strategically promote and grow B.C.'s digital media companies.
Western Forest Products Inc. (TSX: WEF) says Paul Ireland, chief financial officer, will be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities in September. The company is conducting a search for a replacement CFO.
Western is an integrated Canadian forest products company and one of the largest coastal British Columbia woodland operators and lumber producers. Its head office is in Duncan.
Oriental Minerals Inc. (TSXV:OTL) has named Willie McLucas its president, replacing Stephen Flechner who will return to his role as general counsel for the company. Oriental is a long-term investor in South Korea's mining industry. Its corporate offices are in Vancouver.
Yankee Hat Minerals Ltd. (TSXV:KHT) has a new president. Brad Kitchen advises small to medium-sized companies on corporate finance issues through PBK Financial Engineering, which he founded in 1997.
He is also currently the CFO for Primary Petroleum and president of Eagle Hill Exploration.
Concurrently, Terry Fields has been promoted to CEO of Yankee Hat. Yankee Hat is a Vancouver-based mineral exploration company focused on developing gold properties in Canada. Pine Valley Mining Corp. (TSX:PVM) has made a number of management changes while undergoing a restructuring.
The employment agreements of Jeffrey Fehn, chairman of the board; Robert Bell, president and CEO; and Martin Rip, VP finance and CFO, have all been terminated. However, Fehn will continue as chairman on an unpaid basis until a replacement has been elected. Bell continues as president, CEO and a director on an unpaid basis until a replacement is elected to the board and appointed to fill his officer roles. Rip has been retained as a consultant.
Mark Smith, currently a director, becomes CFO on an unpaid basis until a replacement can be appointed. Graham Mackenzie, currently a director, has agreed to serve as corporate secretary on an unpaid basis.
Pine Valley is a coal miner based in Vancouver. It recently sold its wholly owned subsidiary, Falls Mountain Coal Inc., to Cambrian Mining PLC.
Zincore Metals Inc. (TSX:ZNC) has appointed Gregory McCunn to VP of project development. McCunn was most recently senior project engineer for a group of nine companies managed by Hunter Dickinson. Based in Vancouver, Zincore holds a portfolio of zinc properties in Peru and intends to pursue other projects elsewhere in Latin America and China.
Clarence Kwong, CA, has been named CFO for CY Oriental Holdings Ltd. (TSXV:CYO). Most recently, Kwong oversaw statutory and regulatory reporting and compliance for AMB Property Canada Ltd. and the IAT Air Cargo Facilities Income Fund. He replaces Stephen So, who has resigned to pursue other interests. CY is a Canadian-incorporated, China-based manufacturer of apparel for international brands and retailers. Its head office is in Vancouver.
William Freytag has succeeded Richard Glickman as chairman and CEO of Aspreva Pharmaceuticals Corp. (TSX: ASV, Nasdaq: ASPV). Most recently, Freytag served as president, CEO and chairman of Myogen, Inc. Aspreva is a global company focused on evidence-based medicines for patients living with less-common diseases. Its head office is in Victoria.
Trigon Uranium Corp. (TSXV:TEL) has appointed Louis Blom, CA, as CFO. Trigon is focused on known uranium deposits in the U.S. southwest. The firm's corporate office is in Kelowna, with additional offices in Golden, Colo., and Moab, Utah.
Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX, NYSE:ABX) has appointed Glenn Asch as manager of exploration. He will be based in Barrick's Vancouver office. Asch has been with Barrick since 2003, most recently as district geologist at the Cortez Mine in Nevada. Barrick is a gold-mining company with 27 operating mines. It is headquartered in Toronto.
Panoro Minerals Ltd. (TSXV:PML) has appointed Fred Tejada, P.Geo., as VP of exploration. Tejada has been working as a geological consultant in Vancouver since July 2004. Panoro has also appointed Michael Kerfoot as CFO. Most recently, Kerfoot, a CA, served as senior accounting manager for a Canadian tungsten producer. Panoro is a Vancouver mineral exploration company focused on gold and copper/gold deposits.
Cathy Zhai has resigned as chief financial officer for Norsat International Inc. (TSX: NII) to pursue other interests. Until a successor is named, her duties are being handled by James Sharpe, a member of Norsat's board of directors. Norsat provides satellite solutions for high-speed data transmission. Corporate offices are in Richmond.
Abode Mortgage Corp. (TSXV:ABD), a non-conforming mortgage lender, says Joseph DiGiambattista has joined the company as the senior VP for Central Canada. He will be responsible for launching Abode's operations in Ontario. DiGiambattista previously held the position of VP, Greater Toronto Area for HLC Home Loans Canada. Abode, which launched its lending operations in Western Canada in February, provides mortgage services to homeowners unable to find conventional mortgage financing. It is headquartered in Vancouver.
Gold Hawk Resources Inc. (TSXV:CGK) has a new chief executive officer. Kevin Drover joined the company in July 2006 as president and COO. He retains the role of president.
As per his previous announcement, Gordon Bub has stepped down as CEO but will remain as executive chairman of the board. Gold Hawk is a precious metals producer with its primary producing property in Peru. It is headquartered in Vancouver.
Antony Wood, current CFO of Solex Resources Corp. (TSXV:SOX), has accepted the appointment of COO. Wood will continue as CFO until Solex finds a successor. Solex is a mineral exploration company focused on uranium and base-metal properties in Peru. Its head office is in Vancouver.
- with files from The Canadian Press
