American West bolsters board with industry stalwart

North America focussed mineral explorer American West Metals has appointed highly experienced mining executive Daniel Lougher as its new Non-Executive Chairman effective from February next year.

Lougher will initially serve as the company’s Non-Executive Director from November this year before transitioning to the higher-ranked role.

American West’s new hire brings with him over four decades of experience in the resources sector and boasts experience in mineral exploration, project development and mining.

According to the Perth-based company, Lougher has successfully led the development of multiple mines and possesses all the skills necessary to advance its copper, zinc and indium-focussed assets in the United States and Canada.

Over his career Lougher has been entrenched in all aspects of project development including resource definition, feasibility studies, project financing, mine construction and the negotiation of off-take agreements.

Prior to signing on with American West he occupied the role of Managing Director for nickel sulphide developer Western Areas Limited, a role he held for 10 years between 2012 to 2022. He helped transform the company into a leading independent nickel producer, an activity that eventually led to it being acquired for $1.3 billion by miner IGO Limited earlier this year.

Lougher holds a Bachelor of Science in Mining Geology from the University of Leicester, a Graduate Diploma in Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and a Master of Science in Engineering from the same institution.

The work already completed at the projects – particularly the exceptional drill results at Storm and West Desert – underscores their compelling exploration and development potential.

American West’s impending Non-Executive Chairman is currently a Non-Executive Director of Perseus Mining and also serves as the company’s Chair of the Technical Committee and Chair of Nomination Committee.

American West Metals is sitting on a massive 59 million tonne historical copper, zinc and indium resource at its West Desert project in Utah and also claims ownership of a pair of highly prospective copper plays in Canada.

With activity ramping up across the assets Lougher could find himself with plenty to when he takes the hot seat in February.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@wanews.com.au