Abitibi Metals Appoints Ben Pullinger as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development & Growth

Abitibi Metals announced on July 16, 2026, the appointment of Ben Pullinger as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Growth, effective immediately, to lead its corporate development and growth strategy as it advances the flagship B26 Project in Quebec. Pullinger joins from ATEX Resources, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer until February 2026 and helped drive the company's market capitalisation above $1.5 billion through the Valeriano Copper-Gold discovery in Chile. Abitibi granted him 250,000 incentive stock options and 300,000 restricted share units in connection with the appointment.

Company Overview

Abitibi Metals (CSE: AMQ | OTCQB: AMQFF | FSE: FW0) is a Quebec-focused explorer acquiring and advancing high-quality base and precious metal assets. Its flagship B26 polymetallic project is located 7 kilometres southeast of the former Selbaie Mine, providing access to established infrastructure for potential mine development. A National Instrument 43-101 technical report gives B26 an indicated resource of 12.96 million tonnes at 2.08% copper equivalent and an inferred resource of 12.34 million tonnes at 2.20% copper equivalent. The Company's portfolio also includes the Beschefer gold project.

Appointment

The new Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Growth at Abitibi Metals, Ben Pullinger, joins the company effective immediately.

Chief Executive Officer of Abitibi Metals, Jonathon Deluce, frames the appointment this way:

"Ben has a proven track record of significant value creation in various senior roles over the last 15 years, and most recently as CEO of ATEX Resources, where he was instrumental in the transformation of ATEX from a sub $50 million junior explorer to a fully funded $1.5 billion market cap company at the time of his departure. Ben joins what is becoming a best-in-class leadership team, with a compelling asset base and ambitious growth strategy aimed at building Abitibi into a market-leading base metals exploration, consolidation, and development Company."

Pullinger is direct about the opportunity:

"This is an incredible opportunity to join a dynamic, motivated team of professionals with a comprehensive skill set, allowing Abitibi to grow across the full spectrum of value creation from exploration to production. I look forward to contributing to the future success of the Company."

His mandate covers corporate development and growth as Abitibi advances its B26 Project and weighs further opportunities to add value for shareholders.

Track Record

Pullinger joined ATEX Resources as Senior Vice President, Exploration and Business Development in May 2022 and was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer in May 2024, a role he held until February 2026. Under his leadership, ATEX advanced the Valeriano Copper-Gold Project in Chile into the largest new copper discovery in Chile in over a decade and one of the most significant emerging copper-gold discoveries globally, driving the company's market capitalisation from a modest junior explorer to over $1.5 billion in less than 4 years.

Before ATEX, Pullinger held senior corporate roles at Roxgold Inc. and Excellon Resources, and, most recently, at Golden Star Resources, where he remained until the company's acquisition in early 2022. He is a Registered Professional Geologist in Ontario.

Leadership Team

Pullinger joins a senior team that includes the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Abitibi Metals, Dave Bernier, who leads operations and development, and joined the company in January 2026 after serving as COO of Foran Mining. The Vice President of Exploration at Abitibi Metals, Louis Gariepy, leads exploration and joined in March 2025 from O3 Mining, where he held the same role.

Incentive Grants

In connection with the appointment, Abitibi granted Pullinger 250,000 incentive stock options, exercisable in accordance with Canadian Securities Exchange policy and the company's omnibus incentive plan for a period of 5 years from the date of grant. The company also granted him 300,000 restricted share units, which will vest in line with company policy.