Board of Directors

Nicole Hollows has over 20 years of experience in the resources sector, including responsibility for the exploration, evaluation, development, and operations of metallurgical coal mines. Her experience spans operational management, accounting and finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital management, and corporate governance.

Her previous roles include Chief Executive Office/Managing Director of Macarthur Coal Limited (acquired by Peabody Energy), Managing Director of AMCI Australia and South East Asia, and most recently, Chief Executive Officer of Sunwater Limited.

Steve Van Barneveld is a process engineer with over 30 years of experience in the mining services sector, a significant portion of which has been spent with Sedgman Limited, a leading international designer and builder of coal handling and processing plants.

He has held senior management positions within Sedgman, overseeing a period of significant growth and international expansion. He has extensive experience in asset development, design, construction and operations management.

Mike McDonald is of Cree descent and a member of the Peguis First Nation in Manitoba. Throughout his professional life, he has been a trusted legal advisor to Indigenous and business leaders in and outside of the Indigenous context in forestry, energy, mining, construction, environmental, and real estate contexts.

Mike is currently a member of the Board of Governors of Simon Fraser University where he is Vice Chair and also Chairs its Governance, Risk and Compliance Committee. He was recently appointed by the Government of British Columbia to the Board of BC Hydro, a provincial Crown corporation that generates and distributes more than 95% of all electricity in British Columbia. Mike was appointed Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) in 2017 and became a national leader in Impact Benefit Agreements, acting on some of Canada’s largest projects in the infrastructure, mining, energy, resort, and construction contexts. He is a leading lawyer in the Indigenous Business, Indigenous Law and Governance, and Environmental Law contexts. Mike is ranked nationally by Lexpert for his expertise in Indigenous Law and Mining Law.

Russell Middleton has over 30 years of experience in the mining and construction sector, with significant experience in mine project evaluations and the construction of new mines. Starting his career as a public accountant, Russell has held senior management positions in commercial and planning roles with BHP and Anglo American. He is a director of joint venture entities BT Mining Limited and NWP Coal Canada Limited as a Bathurst representative.

Alexandra is a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia. She is a lawyer with 30 years of experience in private practice and in-house, in litigious and commercial practice across a range of industries, including mining, construction, biotechnology, financial services, real estate and technology.

Alexandra is currently Chairman of Trustees Australia Limited, a Non-Executive Director of Harcourts International Limited, HIL Australia Pty Ltd, The Harcourts Foundation and the Harcourts Group’s 9 Australian subsidiaries and joint ventures. Alex chairs the Audit and Remuneration committees for the Harcourts’ Group, and she is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee for the Queensland Rugby Union.

She was previously Legal Counsel for the Ray White Group and General Counsel for the White Family Office.