Keith Calder
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Calder has nearly 30 years of experience in the mining industry with his most recent experience as Managing Director of Rio Tinto's Copper Projects. After achieving his Mining Engineer degree from Michigan Technical University, Mr. Calder's career progressed through roles such as frontline supervisor, Operations Director, Project Engineer, Project Director through to Managing Director in various global mining operations. He was also task force lead on Rio Tinto's Strategic Mine Planning improvement program. Mr. Calder joined Western as President and Chief Executive Officer in December 2009.
Neil Winkelmann
Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Winkelmann, brings nearly 23 years mining experience, primarily in the coal industry. He has held senior operating positions with Anglo Coal, Shell Coal and Power Coal, all in Australia, and prior to joining Western he was with Rio Tinto's Copper Group where he led the project business analysis for operating mines and projects. Mr. Winkelmann is a mining engineer with a MBA from the University of Oxford. He joined Western Coal in July 2010.
Braam Jonker
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Jonker is a Chartered Accountant (South Africa and England and Wales) and has over 15 years of extensive accounting and corporate finance experience, mostly in the mining industry. He has worked as a consultant to the mining sector in Africa, spent time with Mwana Africa Plc, and with the corporate finance departments at Anglo American Corporation and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Most recently, Mr. Jonker was the Chief Financial Officer of Cambrian Mining Plc. Mr. Jonker joined Western Coal in July 2009.
Graham Foyle-Twining
Global Head, Human Resources & Organizational Development
Mr. Foyle-Twining has more than 20 years global mining experience as a Human Resource professional. He started his career in Zimbabwe after graduating from the University of Zimbabwe with a B.A. (Hons) Industrial Psychology. He went on to complete an MBA at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. His career in Human Resources has taken him around the world across a wide spectrum of functional areas including Employee Relations, Organizational Development, Leadership Development, Compensation& Benefits, Recruitment & Selection, and Community Relations. Mr. Foyle-Twining-s last position was with Rio Tinto as General Manager Human Resources for the Copper Projects Group. He joined Western in December 2009.
David Tingey
Global Head, Health, Safety & Environment
Mr. Tingey has over 14 years of experience as a Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) specialist within the mining industry. He has worked globally in various senior HSE management positions at Coeur d-Alene Mines, Katanga Mining, and Rio Tinto. Prior to his employment in the mining industry, Mr. Tingey worked for 8 years in various civil and environmental project capacities with Ernest Green Partnership, Komex Clark Bond, and AMEY Construction. He holds university qualifications in Civil Engineering, Environmental Science and Business Administration, and has also obtained formal qualifications in Health & Safety and Management System Lead Auditing. Mr. Tingey joined Western Coal in April 2010.
Kelly Stark-Anderson
Corporate Secretary
Ms. Stark-Anderson is the principal of KSA Law Corporation, which provides corporate secretarial, governance and securities compliance services. Prior to starting her own firm, Ms. Stark-Anderson held progressively senior in-house counsel positions with the Spectra Energy group of companies. She has also practiced law with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. Ms. Stark-Anderson also lecturers on corporate governance and securities compliance and is a member of the Canadian Society of Corporate Secretaries and the Institute of Corporate Directors. She has been called to the bars of British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta and obtained her LLB from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts, Honours Economics from the University of Calgary. Ms. Stark-Anderson was appointed Corporate Secretary of Western Coal in February 2010.
Robert Bays
Vice-President, Canadian Operations
Mr. Bays has over 30 years of experience in the coal industry. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky. Mr. Bays previously worked at Arch Coal Inc. for 27 years, the last five years of which he was President of ACI's Northeast Region in West Virginia. Mr. Bays joined Western Coal in 2007.
Dan Stickel
President, US Operations
Mr. Stickel has over 30 years of experience in the coal industry with progressive responsibilities in engineering, operations and senior management. He has a B.Sc. Engineering of Mines from West Virginia University. Mr. Stickel has worked for MEPCO, Drummond, US Steel, Maple Creek, Arch Coal and USX Corporation before becoming President & CEO of Atlantic Development & Coal, which owns the Maple and Gauley Eagle mines in West Virginia.
Rhidian Davies
Managing Director, Welsh Operations
Craig Dirk
Vice-President, Asset Management
Mr. Dirk has over 23 years of progressive experience in the mining industry. His expertise includes operations, engineering and maintenance, and includes managing a BHP Billiton coal mine and managing the engineering department for Fording River. Most recently Mr. Dirk was the Managing Partner at MineTeck Associates, a mine consultant firm he founded, the General Manager of Western Canada for P&H MinePro, and a member of P&H MinePro Canada's board of directors. Mr. Dirk joined Western Coal in August 2009.
Bill Burton
Vice-President, Technical & Project Services
Mr. Burton is a professional mining engineer with over 30 years of experience in mining, including involvement with the start up and operation of two coal mines in the eastern foothills of the Canadian Rockies. He joined the Company as VP Operations in 2004.
Mission
Western's mission is to mine coal to maximize shareholder value while respecting the interests of our stakeholders
Vision
Western's vision is to be the premier independent coal mining company, specializing in metallurgical coal, and the supplier of choice to our customers
Values
- Operating our mines safely
- Strong stewardship of the assets we have been entrusted with
- Operating at all times with integrity
- Empowering our employees in the pursuit of excellence
Strategy
Western has a 3-pillar value accretive growth strategy:
Organic growth - to maximize the value of our existing assets. This includes growing from 3.2 million tonnes in fiscal 2010 to 10 million tonnes per year of production by fiscal 2013
Contiguous growth - acquiring assets in close proximity to our existing operations so we can leverage our infrastructure and skills to unlock value that may not be available to other companies
Geographic expansion - acquiring assets in new operating regions to meet existing and potential market demands
