Norge Mining Limited

Oliver is a specialist who brings with him a vast heritage of global mining experience. He was a member of the advisory council at Sentient Group a US$2 billion mining private equity fund and a Non-Executive Director of Ferrexpo.

• Previous roles as Partner at Rowe & Pitman
• Former Managing Director of UBS Warburg Mining Group worldwide
• Started career at Anglo American/De Beers Group

John Vergopoulos brings decisive, hands-on leadership, as well as an international financial ‘black book’. He has extensive executive experience as an SME Board Director, CEO and CFO for publicly traded corporations in the tech and mineral resources sector.

• Impressive fundraising track record in capital, private equity and syndicated loan markets
• Highly experienced in dealing with government institutions throughout Europe, Africa and Asia
• Started out as a chartered accountant in Deloitte’s London Audit Department

Olav has more than 30 years of international management experience from the oil, gas and mineral processing industry. With deep ESG knowledge, he has held several high-profile roles.

• Vice president in Equinor at various roles internationally and in Norway. Among these responsible for CCUS activities including the initiation of the Northern Lights CO2 storage project
• Vice president for Norsk Hydro’s aluminium business in South America and senior vice president for marketing and transport of gas within the company
• Experience from board work in several different commercial organisations and research organisations

Before joining Norge Mining in 2019, Mike served on the boards of several listed companies and ran his own business providing advice and support to AIM and main market listed companies. 

• Advises on implementation of corporate governance, processes and regulatory disclosures
• Cut his teeth as a qualified chartered accountant with KPMG, specialising in corporate finance
• Graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science

Kristian is a highly experienced Operations Advisor, working mostly within the financial and technology industries. Before joining Norge Mineraler, Kristian founded and scaled up various different companies.

• Strengths include organisational analysis and implementation of structures and processes
• Passionate about developments in technology, digitisation and automation
• Doctorate in business administration and holds executive Master’s degrees in business law and art market studies

Ingvil’s career in natural resources and politics brings a wealth of valuable experience to her role as Non-Executive Director. From a professional climber who trained the military, to Deputy Minister in the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, her diverse professional background helps steer Norge Mining on a national and local political level.

• A former politician and member of the Norwegian Progress Party (FrP)
• Former Minister of Public Security in the Ministry of Justice and Public Security 
• Previously a Senior Adviser in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in oil and gas management positions at Innovation Norway

John Vergopoulos brings decisive, hands-on leadership, as well as an international financial ‘black book’. He has extensive executive experience as an SME Board Director, CEO and CFO for publicly traded corporations in the tech and mineral resources sector.

• Impressive fundraising track record in capital, private equity and syndicated loan markets
• Highly experienced in dealing with government institutions throughout Europe, Africa and Asia
• Started out as a chartered accountant in Deloitte’s London Audit Department

An astute economist, geostrategist and entrepreneur, Michael is the founder of Norge Mining and advises on finance and geostrategic direction. Michael has worked for Citibank Zurich, and has held a prestigious array of senior positions at multinational financial institutions in New York and Frankfurt. Previously, in the early 2000s, he was mandated by various governments, finance ministries and state banks in Eastern Europe and Asia to help settle sovereign debts. Over the years, Michael has advised on structured financing for companies in the natural resources, commodities and mining sectors in the Middle East and Mongolia as well as in the US.

Kristian is a highly experienced Operations Advisor, working mostly within the financial and technology industries. Before joining Norge Mineraler, Kristian founded and scaled up various different companies. 

• Strengths include organisational analysis and implementation of structures and processes
• Passionate about developments in technology, digitisation and automation 
• Doctorate in business administration and holds executive Master’s degrees in business law and art market studies

Before joining Norge Mining in 2019, Mike served on the boards of several listed companies and ran his own business providing advice and support to AIM and main market listed companies. 

• Advises on implementation of corporate governance, processes and regulatory disclosures
• Cut his teeth as a qualified chartered accountant with KPMG, specialising in corporate finance
• Graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science

Tassilo leads Norge Mining’s downstream processing activities. While advancing the company’s low-carbon phosphate downstream project, he continually explores new opportunities for our company to implement innovative technologies. 

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich, where he specialised in hydrogen energy technologies and fluid dynamics
• Professional background includes experience at McKinsey & Company in Switzerland, as well as roles at Porsche and Bosch in Germany 

Mary is a seasoned Executive Assistant with more than 20 years of experience. She has held positions in accounting, investment banking, hedge funds, fund management, the satellite industry and mining. Mary has been with Norge Mining since 2021 and is responsible for extensive administrative tasks including scheduling, correspondence, and project coordination.

• Purposeful and efficient
• Active communicator at C-suite level
• Supports administrative, financial, and operational functions

Will is a highly experienced executive and consultant with an international track record working on major mining and infrastructure projects, including digital transformation.

• Multiple roles at WS Atkins, including Managing Director, initiating and shaping major projects such as a $3bn mining development in Senegal comprising a 750km railway and greenfield port.
• Regional Managing Director, Asia Pacific and then Global Director, Future Growth at RICS, the professional body for the built environment.
• Sustainability and technology experience including the creation of a global digital product focused on benchmarking the life cycle cost and carbon impact of built assets.

Eric Sarasin has a 30-year track record in Banking at Morgan Guarantee, Pictet & Cie, Citibank N.A., and Bank Sarasin. For 27 years at Bank Sarasin he held various senior leadership positions and developed the formerly family-owned bank into a leading private bank of Switzerland, culminating in his role as Group Deputy CEO of Bank J. Safra Sarasin (after the sale of the bank to the Safra family in 2012). Eric is a graduate of Babson College, and the Swiss Finance Institute. He is Chairman of the Singularity Group, Q-Brands, and Gambio. He is on the board of 1875 Finance and Swiss Startup Group, and Chair of TIGER21 Switzerland. During his career, Eric held many public, non-private and cultural leadership roles including 12 years as the President of the Swiss-German Chamber of Commerce, and today as President of the Cancer League of Basel, Gertrude von Meissner Foundation, the Paul Jenni Foundation, the MyHandicap Foundation, the Redsands Venture, and Human Rights Watch.

Dr. Jana Plananska is an expert in sustainability of critical raw material value chains, battery technology and electric & smart mobility. Jana obtained PhD at the University of St.Gallen in Switzerland, analysing consumer adoption of electric vehicles. Prior to that, she concluded Master’s Degree in International Development and Political Science at Sciences Po Paris and the University of St.Gallen. Jana has extensive experience in diplomacy, project management and with analytical work for clean transport and energy transitions. She has gained this experience through her engagement at institutions such as the University of Oxford, UNESCO, EU, and the World Bank, among others. Jana advises Norge Mining Limited on the role of company’s Critical Raw Materials within green and digital transition, battery technology and food security, and the geopolitics and sustainability of Critical Raw Material value chains, focusing on developments and relationships with EU and other government actors.

Dr. David Wurmser, has been the executive and founding member of the Delphi Global Analysis Group, LLC – a firm specializing in geopolitical risk analysis and mitigation for companies from the United States, Europe, Japan and India operating in the infrastructure, raw materials, energy, high-tech, defense and financial sectors. Among others, Delphi was the primary contractor advising Nobel in political risk and strategy for over a decade to help Nobel Energy (now Mobil) navigate its transformative situation in Israel from 2009 until 2020. David was also the senior advisor to the U.S. Vice President Richard Cheney on Middle East, proliferation and strategic affairs and to Under Secretary of State John Bolton. He further founded the Middle East studies program at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) where he published several articles on geo-political and geo-strategic topics. David holds a B.A. (political science), M.A. (international affairs and international economics) and a Ph.D. (on U.S. foreign policy and Middle East affairs) from the Johns Hopkins University.

Andreas Sarasin studied economics (lic.rer.pol.) in Basel before joining Bank Sarasin in 1982. Until 2007, he held various management positions at the bank, becoming a member of the Executive Committee in 1991 and a partner of Bank Sarasin in 1993. As Head of Logistics, he was responsible for the bank’s infrastructure worldwide. As Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank Sarasin Europe Sarasin Luxembourg and member of the Board of Directors, Sarasin Investment Management SA London, Bank Sarasin-Rabo Asia and Bank Sarasin Ltd Guernsey, he had global insights into asset management. Since 2007 Andreas Sarasin has been working as an independent advisor and financier of startups in different sectors and sizes. Thereby the strategic orientation and the company infrastructure is the core of his support of the mostly young companies. In this context, he is currently active on various boards of directors. For example, he is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Trafina Privatbank and a member of the Boards of Directors of Whitebox AG, Uniqfeed AG and E3CSS AG.