MANAGEMENT TEAM
Jean-Paul Tsotsos
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Jean-Paul Tsotsos has 20 years of experience in mining corporate development, strategy, capital markets, project evaluations, and project development. Mr. Tsotsos was previously a member of the Corporate Development team at Hudbay Minerals, where he played an integral role in the development of the Snow Lake base metal to gold transition strategy in Manitoba, the 100% ownership consolidation of Copper World in Arizona, and the acquisition of Mason Resources in Nevada. Before Hudbay, Mr. Tsotsos worked at BMO Capital Markets in the Metals and Mining Equity Research group and held successively higher roles as a Professional Geologist within exploration and consulting. Mr. Tsotsos holds an MBA specializing in Natural Resources, Energy, and Environment from the University of Alberta, a Masters of Science, and an Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto. He is a Professional Geoscientist registered with the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario.
p. Randy Reifel
Chairman
Randy Reifel has been a senior executive in the exploration business for 36 years. During this period he has distinguished himself as a successful, strategic entrepreneur within the industry. Prior to establishing Chesapeake, Mr. Reifel was president of two exploration companies focused in Latin America, Carson Gold Corp. and Francisco Gold Corp. Mr. Reifel’s early recognition of the Kilometer 88 gold district in Venezuela led to Carson Gold being acquired in 1993. With Francisco Gold, Mr. Reifel played a primary role in the creation, development and financing of the El Sauzal and Marlin gold discoveries and the sale in 2002 to Glamis Gold Ltd. for $390 million. Mr. Reifel holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Masters of Science in Business Administration. Prior to the Newmont-Goldcorp merger, Mr. Reifel was a director of Goldcorp for 13 years.
Rajesh Vyas
Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary
Rajesh Vyas is a seasoned finance executive with over 25 years of experience in the mining industry, including international leadership roles. Mr. Vyas started his mining career as a Controller at the Suriname operations of Iamgold Corporation and has since held progressively senior roles, including VP, Corporate Controller & Corporate Secretary at Sierra Metals, Director of Finance at Alamos Gold, and Operations Controller at Richmont Mines. Mr. Vyas is a Chartered Accountant and a CPA with a strong track record in governance, investor relations and IT-enabled finance transformation.
Justin Black
Chief Metallurgical Officer
Justin Black is a metallurgist with 15 years of experience in project development and operations in the mining industry. Mr. Black has served as a project manager, lead engineer, QP and author for 43-101 reports and commissioning efforts throughout North and South America. Mr. Black has been intimately involved with the development and application of Chesapeake’s Heap Oxidation technology since 2017. Mr. Black graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Chemical and Environmental Engineering and is a registered professional engineer in the state of Arizona.
Alberto Galicia
Vice President Exploration
Alberto Galicia is a geologist with 25 years of experience in mineral exploration in Mexico and Central America and also in associated ESG management. In 1996, Mr. Galicia joined the Francisco Gold Corp team and two years later co-discovered the Marlin gold deposit in Guatemala. Mr. Galicia graduated as a Geological Engineer from the “Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala” in 1993, He is a registered Professional Geoscientist (P. Geo. / APEGBC) and is a member of the Society of Economic Geologists.
Gary A. Parkison
Vice President Development
Gary Parkison is a professional geologist with over 40 years of experience in the exploration and development of base and precious metal deposits in the Americas. Mr. Parkison has held senior-level positions with Westmont Mining, Cambior Inc. and Constellation Copper, as well as various consulting positions before joining Chesapeake as Metates Project Manager in 2008. Mr. Parkison has several mineral discoveries to his credit and has led the evaluation of numerous large-scale projects from scoping level through feasibility study. Mr. Parkison holds a Bachelor of Science and a Masters degree in Geology from the University of California and is a fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists as well as a member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration.