Vital Metals (ASX: VML) announced Monday that interim chairman Richard Crookes will take on the role of chairman permanently, after being appointed interim non-executive chairman in February. Crookes has been on Vital’s board since August 2022.
Vital has also appointed chartered accountant Lara Lacusso as chief financial officer (CFO). Lacusso has more than 30 years’ experience in financial advisory services in Australia and overseas across a wide range of industries including mining and exploration.
She was previously a partner of Deloitte Corporate Finance and is the former CFO of ASX-listed Oklo Resources, which merged with B2Gold in September 2022, and TSXV-listed Compass Gold Corp. She is currently CFO for a West African lime company and several private companies.
Lacusso specializes in providing financial advisory services to emerging companies and has experience working with companies with operations in multiple jurisdictions including optimizing cashflow, taxation and other cross-border matters.
“I am pleased to be stepping into the role of Vital’s chairman permanently as we continue to refresh our board and management team to drive development of our rare earth deposits at Nechalacho, Canada,” chairman Richard Crookes said in a statement.
“Along with the recent appointment of Dr. Geordie Mark as our managing director and CEO, we now welcome Lara Lacusso to the team as our chief financial officer, bringing more than 30 years of financial advisory experience, particularly in the mining and exploration sector.
“These appointments are exciting and provide us with the well-rounded skillset we require as we continue to assess development options at Nechalacho.”