Critical and strategic metals-focused explorer and developer Aterian has appointed Luke Rogers COO with effect from November 1.

He has over 14 years of international mining experience – working across multiple mining disciplines ranging from production mine engineering to mineral processing operations – primarily focused on base metal projects in developing economies.

Rogers holds a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering and a master’s degree in minerals engineering from the Camborne School of Mines.

Most recently, he was East African tin and tungsten miner Trinity Metals COO. In this role, Rogers oversaw nine mine projects, 4 500 employees and the largest investment ever in the Rwandan mining sector as a result of Trinity Metals being a subsidiary of TechMet – a privately owned technology metals mining company.

Prior to Trinity Metals, he was AMR Gold Sierra Leone country manager, leading a team of 26 people and helping to develop the region’s Wilkinson Hill coltan deposit, building a life-of-mine financial model to establish internal rate of return and net present value data.

Rogers also previously worked as a mining contractor for Chepstow International in southwest England, as well as having worked at Glencore's Mutanda copper/cobalt mine, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As a mining and processing engineering consultant and manager, Aterian says he brings significant and relevant experience to the company’s African portfolio.

Aterian chairperson Charles Bray says the recent acquisition of the copper/silver and base metal assets in Morocco, together with the move to the standard list of the LSE, will present opportunities in which Rogers’ skill set will provide significant added benefit to the company.

“His intimate understanding of Rwanda and its mining sector will serve us well as we continue evaluating our tantalum/niobium/tin projects in the south of the country and the metals trading business.

“We look forward to Luke putting his technical expertise to use to prove up our existing assets and working to support the company’s long-term sustainable development,” says Bray.