ASX-listed Lindian Resources has announced a cohort of board and leadership changes, effective immediately.

Jack Fazio has resigned as nonexecutive director to assume a full-time role as project director.

Executive director Trevor Matthews is to become member of the executive team leading finance and commercial functions.

Linda Gimondo joins Lindian to lead corporate affairs and external communications. She previously held the role of manager corporate affairs with Pilbara Minerals.

Fazio has been involved with the company since June 2020 and is indicated to have been instrumental in leading the development of the Kangankunde project’s feasibility study.

He is highlighted to be a highly experienced project engineering, construction and contract management professional.

Prior to his involvement with Lindian, Fazio held senior project management roles with Primero Group, Laing O’Rourke and Forge Group.

As project director, he will be responsible for leading the engineering, design, procurement and construction of the Kangankunde rare earths project.

In additional to his role on the board, Matthews will formally become responsible for all finance and commercial functions.

Lindian points out that he has a long history of successfully financing and developing mining projects and bringing them into production, previously holding senior leadership roles with several ASX-listed companies.

The company avers that Matthews' financial, commercial and project development skills will be of great value as the company moves into project financing, offtake negotiations and construction of the Kangankunde project.

There will be a variation to his engagement terms announced last year to allow for additional charges (about $10 000 a month) to reflect the increased workload.

Gimondo is a corporate affairs and external relations expert with considerable networks across government, media and industry in Australia, the company highlights.

She has worked in both the government and private sectors, including with Pilbara Minerals (lithium), Northern Minerals (rare earths) and Deloitte, and has significant experience in the critical minerals space, Lindian avers.

During her time at Pilbara Minerals, Gimondo established and led the company’s corporate affairs function as it transformed from project developer listed in the ASX300 index, to lithium producer with a market cap of about $14-billion and positioned in the ASX50 index, Lindian acclaims.

At Lindian, she will manage investor relations and communications, internal communications, external relations, market communications and government engagement.

“On behalf of the Lindian board, I would like to thank Jack for his contribution to the board over the past four years. We look forward to continuing to work with him as he leads the construction of the Kangankunde rare earths project,” says executive chairperson Asimwe Kabu.

“I am pleased to make these first appointments to Lindian’s executive team. It forms part of my undertaking when taking on the CEO role, to put in place a solid management team and a positive, high-achieving company culture with stakeholders,” says CEO Alwyn Vorster.

“These appointments will be integral to delivering on the company’s strategy of developing the Kangankunde project’s feasibility study, securing financing and offtake and progressing into construction and production as soon as possible,” he adds.