Atlas Salt Appoints Mark Stewart as Chief Financial Officer, Promotes Robert Booth to Chief Operating Officer

Atlas Salt Inc. announced on August 4, 2026, a series of leadership changes as the company advances the Great Atlantic Salt Project toward production: the appointment of Mark Stewart, CPA, CA, as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Corporate Secretary; the promotion of Robert Booth, P.Eng, PMP, to Chief Operating Officer (COO); and the promotion of Andrew Smith, P.Eng, ICD.D, to Director of Project Strategy and Execution. The company also issued compensation securities to certain officers, consultants, and advisors.

Company Overview

Atlas Salt Inc. (TSXV: SALT | OTCQX: SALQF | FSE: 9D00) is developing North America's next salt mine and is committed to responsible and sustainable mining practices. With a focus on innovation and efficiency, the company is positioned to make significant contributions to the North American salt market while upholding its values of environmental stewardship and community engagement.

New Chief Financial Officer

Mark Stewart has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Corporate Secretary of Atlas Salt, bringing more than 25 years of executive finance leadership across public mining and industrial companies. He most recently served as Director, Enterprise Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) at Teck Resources, where he was responsible for enterprise-wide planning, growth projects, and Board reporting. Earlier in his career, he held finance executive roles at Yamana Gold, Barrick Gold, and Aritzia, supporting capital allocation, project evaluation, public company reporting, and strategic transactions. Stewart led the financial integration of Yamana's US$3.5 billion acquisition of Osisko Gold, operationalized the divestiture of Barrick's $3.6 billion African assets through an initial public offering (IPO) and listing on the London Stock Exchange, and negotiated a $300 million corporate credit facility while maintaining pricing terms in a challenging financing environment.

Chief Executive Officer and Director of Atlas Salt, Nolan Peterson, commented on the appointments: 

“Our Great Atlantic Salt Project's quality deserves a leadership team to match, and today's appointments further strengthen the exceptional team we are building at Atlas Salt. Mark Stewart brings the financial leadership and strategic experience to help guide the Company through its next phase of growth, while the promotions of Robert Booth, aka "Bob the Builder" to Chief Operating Officer and Andrew Smith to Director of Project Strategy and Execution recognize the outstanding leadership and significant contributions they have already made to advancing the Great Atlantic Salt Project. I am confident our strengthened leadership team positions Atlas Salt to successfully execute on the significant opportunity ahead."

Stewart added on joining the company: 

"Having spent much of my career working with leading mining companies, I recognize that opportunities like the Great Atlantic Salt Project are rare. The combination of a high-quality asset, a thoughtful strategy and a leadership team focused on disciplined execution made the decision to join Atlas Salt an easy one. I am excited to help the Company execute on the significant opportunity ahead and eager to get started."

Expanded Operational Leadership

Robert Booth has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO) in recognition of his leadership and technical expertise since joining Atlas Salt. In his expanded role, he will oversee engineering, project development, construction planning, operational readiness, and site operations management as the Great Atlantic Salt Project advances toward production.

Andrew Smith has been promoted to Director of Project Strategy and Execution, continuing to lead the integration of project strategy, execution planning, and cross-functional coordination. His expanded responsibilities include refining the company's salt marketing and distribution strategies.

Compensation Securities

Atlas Salt also issued compensation securities to certain officers, consultants, and advisors. A total of 250,000 restricted share units (RSUs) were issued, vesting in tranches of 50,000 units on August 4, 2027, and 100,000 units on each of August 4, 2028, and August 4, 2029. The company also granted 750,000 stock options at an exercise price of $1.39 per share, with vesting dates staggered between February 4, 2027, and August 4, 2028, and expiries in 2029 and 2031. The grant of options and issuance of RSUs remain subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.