Management & Exploration team
Management
André
Gaumond
President, CEO and Director
A geological engineer with a master’s degree in geological economics, Mr. Gaumond has worked as a geologist Engineer for several organizations and the government of Quebec. From 1987 to 1992, he was a mining analyst for financial institutions and a technical and financial adviser, within different mining exploration companies.
Mr. Gaumond reorganized Virginia Gold Mines in 1992 and became President of the company. On behalf of Virginia’s team, he accepted the Quebec Prospector of the Year award in 1996-1997 for the company’s work in James Bay, and the prix Ressource from the Quebec Order of Geologists in 2001. In 2004, Virginia was again awarded the title of Quebec Prospector of the Year in recognition of the Coulon and Éléonore projects. Mr. Gaumond received the title of Quebec Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005 for his achievement on the Éléonore project, as well as was named “Mining Man of the Year” in Canada by famous mining magazine “The Northern Miner”. In 2006 he was given the prestigious Canadian Prospector of the Year award from the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC).
Mr Gaumond was awarded the e3 (Environmental Excellence in Exploration) award in Quebec in 2007 and in Canada in 2008 for its implication in the creation of the Nunavik Restor-Action Funds. He received the Career award Summa 2009 awarded by Faculté de science et génie from Université Laval.
He sits on the Board of the PDAC and Detour Gold. Mr. Gaumond is a member of several professional associations, among them the Quebec Order of Engineers.
Paul
Archer
Vice-president
Exploration and Acquisitions
A geological engineer with a Master’s
Degree in Earth Science, Mr. Archer has
over 25 years experience in mining exploration,
in particular with gold and base metals in Archaean
terrain. Paul Archer has worked for many
mining companies, among them Shell Minerals,
Noranda, Northgate, Westminer Canada and
SOQUEM. He joined Virginia’s team
in 1996. Mr. Archer was elected President
of the Quebec Prospector’s Association
in 1996 and 1997.
Amélie
Laliberté
Investor Relations
Ms. Laliberté holds a degree in
Communications with a major in Public Relations
from the University of Laval in Quebec.
She joined Virginia’s team in 2002.
She is also a member of the Canadian Public
Relations Society and of the Société
des relationnistes du Québec.
Geologist
Mathieu
Savard
Senior Project Geologist
Mr. Savard holds a Geology Degree from the Université du Québec at Montreal. He has over 10 years of mining experience; most specifically in gold, base metal and nickel exploration in Precambian terrain. He started his exploration career in 1997 with Virginia Gold Mines before working for Miramar Mining Corporation on the Hope Bay gold project in the Canadian Arctic. In May 2000 Mr. Savard joined Virginia Gold Mines’ team as Project Geologist. Mr.Savard worked closely on the development of the Éléonore project up to the time of the sale of the deposit to Goldcorp. Mr. Savard is now the Senior Project Geologist working on the development of the Coulon JV project. Mr. Savard is a member of several professional associations, among them the l'Ordre des géologues du Quebec.
Vital Pearson
Senior Research Geologist
Mr. Pearson is a geological engineer with a Masters Degree who has accumulated 25 years of experience in mining exploration. He worked in several areas of the Abitibi Archaean belt, exploring for base metals and gold. Mr. Pearson has worked for Noranda Exploration, the Ariel mining group, Minnova/Inmet, Soquem and most recently for the CONSOREM as a professional mining exploration researcher. In early summer 2007 he joined
Virginia’s team as the senior research geologist. Mr. Pearson is also a member of the Québec Order of Geologist.
Jérôme Lavoie
Project Geologist
Mr. Lavoie is a geological engineer with a Master’s Degree in Earth Science since 2008, also graduated as Geological Engineering Degree from University of Québec in Chicoutimi in 2001. Before joining Virginia’s team in 2004 he worked on different exploration projects in the Saguenay Lac-St-Jean area and in a mine in Peru. Mr. Lavoie is a junior member of the Quebec Order of Engineers.
Louis Grenier
Project Geologist
Mr. Grenier received a Geology Degree from Laval University in 2003. Before joining Virginia’s team in 2004 he worked as both assistant geologist and a geologist on the Grand Nord and Front de Grenville projects for the Québec Ministry of Natural Resources from 2001 to 2003. He is a member of the Québec Order of Geologist and the Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM).
François Huot
Senior Project Geologist
Mr. Huot holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology (1994) and a Masters Degree in Earth Science (1997) from Laval University, as well as a Doctorate in Marine Geoscience (2001) from the Université de Bretagne Occidentale (France). During the course of his European studies he worked on a number of ophiolite complexes in Quebec, the Philippines, Tibet, Cyprus (Sri Lanka) and California, and took part in an oceanographic mission that enabled him to dive in the Central Indian Ridge on board the submersible NAUTILE.
Before joining Virginia`s team in January 2008, he was mining exploration consultant and lecturer in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at Laval University.
Mr. Huot, who has over 10 years of experience in mining exploration and geological research, is a member of the Québec Order of Geologists.
Isabelle Roy
Senior Project Geologist
Ms. Roy holds a Geology Degree from Laval University (1993). Before joining Virginia’s team in the fall of 2007, she worked as Project Manager for SOQUEM in the Appalaches-Grenville and Quebec area from 1997 to 2006. She has also worked on several exploration campaigns in the Côte-North and Saguenay-Lac St-Jean, Gaspésie and James Bay. She is a member of the Québec Order of Geologists.
Jean-François Ouellette
Chief Consultant
Active in the exploration domain since 1986, Mr. Ouellette holds a degree in Geology from the Université du Québec in Montreal. He started his career successively as junior and senior geologist for various projects with the Vior-Mazarin mining group. He was promoted to Director of Exploration in 1992. Since 1994 Mr. Ouellette has been President of Géonordic Technical Services Inc., a consultancy firm specializing in mineral exploration in northern areas. This company has as its mandate the generation and execution of projects in archean environments. Mr. Ouellette is a member of the Quebec Order of Geologists, the Society of Economic Geologists and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada. He has also served as Vice-President of the Quebec Mining Exploration Association, where he continues to be an active member.
An experienced team of geologists and consultants
Finance
Robin Villeneuve
Chief Financial Officer
In the last 13 years, Mr. Villeneuve held positions with various levels of responsibility at AbitibiBowater, acting successively as Financial Accounting Manager and Control and Manufacturing Accounts Manager. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration - major in Accounting, from Laval University, Québec, and is a licensed Chartered Accountant. Mr. Villeneuve brings solid financial expertise to the Company.
Daniel Bédard
Controller
Mr. Daniel Bédard has been a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) since 2004 and holds a degree in Accounting Science from the Université du Québec in Trois-Rivières. In May 2006 he became the Company's Controller. He was also Accounting Manager at Jeunesse du monde (2003-2006) and a financial analyst with Teleglobe (2002).
Management Secretary
Noëlla Lessard
A member of Virginia's team for the past
10 years, Mrs. Lessard holds the position
of Executive Secretary. She also is responsible
for the company's paralegal affairs. Mrs.
Lessard's presence assures continuity in
the management of Virginia.
