Exploration team

At the heart of CAG's drive to add significant value to its mining and resource portfolio is a highly-qualified, experienced and motivated team of exploration professionals.

The team is led by Phil Bentley, Group Manager: Geology and Exploration, who has been involved in economic gold deposit discoveries on the African continent. He has a wide range of experience in applied exploration methods from a variety of geological terranes. Phil has an in-depth knowledge of African Metallogeny, with an emphasis on Africa’s complex tectonic framework. His knowledge, experience and ideas on the formative processes of ore-bodies in relation to the major tectonic, terrane-accretion and rifting events that have shaped the African continent, provide a solid framework within which the exploration team operates.

Trevor Clark, Exploration Information Manager, has the responsibility of organising the company's vast data-repository, ensuring data quality and integrity, and delivering reliable input data to exploration, resource and mine-modeling software systems. Trevor has an MSc in isotope geochemistry and is also an experienced exploration geologist, including having developed and managed an innovative globally accessible Geospatial Information Management System for a major mining and exploration company. He has also conducted 3-D modeling of ore-bodies for resource evaluation programmes. Trevor will be assisting with the development of resource models for CAG, and the formulation of geo-spatial data structures to underpin the team's exploration and geological modeling efforts.

Dr Robin Harris, Senior Exploration Geoscientist, has a background in structural geology, remote sensing, and geographic information systems with vast on-site experience as a consultant to the mining and exploration industry. He is a specialist in the processing of multi- and hyper-spectral satellite data to detect exploration targets that are highlighted by (the sometimes subtle) anomalous concentrations of minerals associated with ore-forming processes. This expertise, combined with having been an early advocate of the integrated use of GIS in geological exploration, has resulted in a number of these studies having been of assistance to mineral deposit discoveries within the exploration industry. His in-depth knowledge of structural geology provides the team with solid expertise in the interpretation and analysis of structural geometries revealed on satellite imagery and digital elevation models, as well as ground truthing these interpretations. He is also responsible for the in in-house development of geo-spatially related software add-ons for use by CAG’s exploration team.

Frans Dooge, Senior Resource Geologist, is an experienced exploration and mining geologist with extensive skills in the practical use of mining software for modeling the 3-D geometry of ore-bodies, resource and reserve modeling, and mine-planning/scheduling for both open-cast and underground mining operations. Frans is tasked with detailed geological 3-D modeling at advanced phases of the team's exploration programme, leading into resource and reserve estimations, and mine planning. From the outset this task dictates that he also manages the company's project and mine-site databases, directing the collection and processing of accurate field survey and drill-hole data.

Dave Baudains, has a BSc Honours degree in environmental science, specialising in GIS. He is extensively involved in the collation and rectification of geo-spatial data being used in CAG’s exploration efforts. He will be involved in developing the environmental aspects of CAG's exploration activities, combining his knowledge of environmental legislation with remote-sensing of the exploration environments to ensure that the company's activities impact positively on the surrounding environment.

CAG uses accredited independent consultants for third party reviews and independent audits. In terms of the company's active projects, independent consultants are used for:

• Competent person reports and mineral reserve and resource audits (Ukwazi Mining Consultants, Snowden Mining Consultants);
• Geotechnical and related mining engineering (Snowden's Mining Consultants, Ukwazi Mining Consultants, and);
• Geophysical surveys and interpretationss (Alan Reid Geophysics UK, SAGAX Afrique, Terratec)
• GFConsult assists with geological collations primarily in west and central (Francophone) Africa, and also provides an expatriate geological service when necessary.

In Mali and Ghana regional structures exist consisting of highly qualified teams that implement a regional strategy aimed at maximising the resource-base of the group.