Bonterra Resources - CEO Profile

About Bonterra Resources

Bonterra Resources is a Canadian gold exploration company with a large portfolio of exploration and mining assets including the Gladiator, Barry Bachelor and Moroy deposits, the Bachelor Mill, and multiple highly prospective exploration prospects. Bonterra controls the only permitted gold mill in the region with a large land position of over 38,000 hectares, located in the mining-friendly province of Quebec, within the Abitibi Greenstone Belt.

The Company has over 3 million ounces of gold resources across all categories and has recently published a Preliminary Economic Analysis (PEA) on the Barry Open Pit.

Interview with President & CEO, Marc-André Pelletier

What’s your company, title, and role? For how long?

Bonterra Resources Inc. My name is Marc-André Pelletier, President, CEO and Director. I have been in the role of CEO since January 17, 2022, but I started as a Director on November 11, 2021.

What have you been charged with doing for the company?

The mandate I received from the Board of Directors is to move forward from the advanced exploration stage to development and production re-start in the short-term. For that purpose, The Company published a PEA on the Barry open pit project last June. A PFS is underway and should be completed by year-end.

What characteristics do you think one needs to be a CEO?

A good CEO should have a solid grasp of all the aspects within the mining business. They must be capable of accomplishing many things at the same time. To do so efficiently, they must surround themselves with a good team because it is impossible to know everything in depth!

What has/have your position as CEO taught you: good and bad?

That it is important to continue advancing our projects the best we can despite a depressed market!

What’s the one thing that a mentor/boss taught you that you still think about/use today?

Keep the story simple!

In a sector known for its ups and downs, what’s the hardest decision you had to make?

I have opened many mines in my career, but this has been the first time I participated in the decision to place an underground mine under long-term care and maintenance. This decision at the Bachelor mine was a tough decision, but it is the right thing to do for the Company.

What are you most proud of?

What we have accomplished at Bonterra in the last six months considering we are such a small team.

Tell us something that few people know about you.

Iron Maiden is one of my favourite music bands

What does the future of this sector look like?

We are in a very particular market, but the geopolitical conditions are such that gold should be considered a safe haven for investment. Many investors agree that it is a matter of time before the price of gold soars to unprecedented levels. From an environmental-sustainability perspective, the mining industry must be considered as part of the solution, not part of the problem. 

What needs to change to get there?

The price of gold is tied to the performance of the US dollar. The US dollar is strong and that will have to change, I think. Any geopolitical tensions should be favourable to the gold price. The mining industry needs to raise the bar overall in matters of compliance, environment, and relations with the communities.

What is driving the need to change?

Current market conditions make it difficult for junior mining companies to access financing. Social acceptability from certain local mining communities has triggered a need to change for the mining industry.

What type of people are/should be attracted to this sector?

The mining industry is very versatile, and it needs people from several fields to operate. The shortage of people in the industry should force the mining industry to optimise its operations by increasing productivity and reducing costs.

Which companies or individuals do you look up to?

I have a lot of respect for my dad who is an engineer in geology. I follow most of the gold mining companies that operate mines in Quebec and Ontario.

What is your educational background?

Mining engineer with a degree from Laval University in 1994

Did you know what industry you wanted to work in straight away? What did you want to do?

Yes, I have been exposed to mining when I was young as my dad is an engineer in geology.

What is your professional background?

My background is in mining engineering, mostly in the gold industry and mostly in technical and operational roles. In the last ten years, I mostly re-opened or started new mines and projects, I was able to facilitate the opening of four underground and 1 open pit mine, with a focus on exploration success, execution, and the optimisation of production.

Most recently I have been part of the Wesdome Gold Mines story, where we started the production at the Kiena mine and increased production at the Eagle mine to over one hundred thousand ounces a year. Wesdome was able to finance their growth organically and we would like to have the same approach at Bonterra.

When did you move into management?

2015 I think when I became General Manager and VP of Operations for St- Andrew Goldfields.

When did you move into a board position?

In November 2021, when I joined Bonterra as a Director.

What do you think your best attributes are for running a company?

At the end of the day, it is important to get the work done and move ahead. Every day is a little battle, and we need to move on, one step at a time.

What kind of people do you surround yourself with?

It is all about teamwork. You need to surround yourself with good people!

What are the KPIs that you focus on for yourself and for your team?

The main KPI is the re-start of production. We are doing what we can to move toward production re-start as fast as we can.

Shareholders are nervous with current market conditions. How do you maintain confidence for current shareholders, and attract new potential investors?

We are in the right rocks, the greenstone belt with 3m ounces of gold in a great jurisdiction like Quebec. We have great infrastructure (i.e., Bachelor Mill Complex). We have the right strategy, which is to become the next junior gold producer in the region, and we have the right team to execute on our strategy!

What do you think are the challenges currently facing the mining industry?

As an industry, we need to raise the bar and do better on the environmental and social matters. We need to strive to listen to the community surrounding our operations and not just considered the financial aspect of our businesses.

Final question, what do you want investors to think of when they hear your name?

The Company has now the right leader to bring Bonterra to the next stage.