Golden Opportunities: What Makes an Exploration Company Attractive for Acquisition?
e-Learning Series
Overview
In recent years merger and acquisition (M&A) activity has become more common in the mineral exploration industry. Type and quality of deposit, commodity, potential size, and location are all criteria in determining whether a mineral prospect has a chance of becoming an economic deposit, but what other variables play a role in the decision-making of larger exploration and mining companies when considering the acquisition of a target company? How might shareholders benefit from potential synergies, increase in land position, access to capital, expertise, and infrastructure? What might a transaction mean to partners and stakeholders who may benefit from a proposed development?
Many exploration companies hope to be acquired after hitting the exploration lottery but that requires more than just a good project. Charlie Greig will discuss the discovery, under his leadership as Vice-President Exploration of GT Gold, of the Saddle North gold-rich copper porphyry deposit and the Saddle South vein gold-silver zone on the Tatogga Project in the Golden Triangle region of British Columbia. Charlie will be joined by successful entrepreneur, prospector and geologist, Glenn Mullan, who will share his advice, as the founder, Chair and CEO of several junior exploration and royalty companies, on guiding the corporations through M&A transactions to build value for the shareholders.
The conversation will be moderated by Alexandria Marcotte, VP Project Coordination, Osisko Mining. Alexandria has the unique experience of being part of a mineral exploration company that hopes to see its high-grade gold deposit through to development and production.
Presenters
Alexandria Marcotte
Osisko Mining
Ms. Alexandria Marcotte, P.Geo., is currently the Vice President, Project Coordination for Osisko Mining Inc. Prior to joining Osisko, Ms. Marcotte held increasingly senior roles in junior exploration companies internationally and across Canada. She started her career working underground in base metals. Ms. Marcotte is a director of the Canadian Museum of Nature Foundation and NewOrigin Gold.
She is a member of the Professional Geoscientists of Ontario and the Sustainability Committee of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada. Ms. Marcotte received an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto and is an MBA candidate at the Schulich School of Business, York University.
Charles Greig
CJ Greig & Associates
C.J. (Charlie) Greig is a well known and successful geologist, with more than 40 years in the mineral exploration sector. He leads C.J. Greig & Associates, a geological consulting services team highly regarded for its technical expertise. He has worked on exploration projects from grass-roots through to development, and has worked on a number of projects that have subsequently been put into production, including La India in Mexico (Grayd–Agnico Eagle), Wolverine in Yukon (Atna-Westmin, Yukon Zinc), Alamo Dorado in Mexico (Corner Bay-Pan American Silver), Brucejack Lake (Pretium), and Bisha in Eritrea (Nevsun).
He is the 2022 recipient of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada's Bill Dennis Award as well as the 2020 Association for Mineral Exploration's H.H. 'Spud' Huestis Award for the discovery of GT Gold Corp.'s North Saddle porphyry Cu-Au deposit and Saddle South epithermal gold zone in northwest BC.
Glenn J. Mullan
Val-d’Or Mining Corporation
Mr. Glenn J. Mullan is a geologist, prospector and resident in Val-D’Or, Québec. He was the founder, and at different times, the Chair, President/CEO of Canadian Royalties Inc. (1999-2010) and then founder, Chair, President/CEO of Golden Valley Mines and Royalties Ltd. (2000-2021). Glenn was a founder and director of Abitibi Royalties Inc. (Executive Chair, previously President/CEO), Val-d’Or Mining Corporation (Chair, President/CEO) and International Prospect Ventures Ltd. (Executive Chair, previously President/CEO), and founder, director and the President/CEO of Cleghorn Minerals Ltd., all junior natural resource issuers trading on the TSX Venture Exchange or predecessor exchanges. Glenn is currently a director of, and a consultant to, Gold Royalty Corp. (GROY-NYSE). Glenn is also a director and Chair of the Board at Azimut Exploration Inc.
As an independent prospector, Glenn acquired many mining prospects ranging from grassroots ventures through advanced-stage projects in Canada and internationally. He acquired most of the properties comprising the exploration portfolio of Canadian Royalties Inc., Golden Valley Mines and Royalties Ltd., and related companies in the “Zed Zed Group”. He is also a Past President of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) and has been a member for over 45 years.
Glenn earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the Department of Earth Sciences (then) at Concordia University in Montréal, Québec in 1992. He received a P. Geol. designation from the Ordre des géologues du Québec in 2002 and an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors in Montréal, Québec in 2007.