Battery minerals company Liontown Resources on Monday announced that CFO Jon Latto and COO Adam Smits would step down from their roles.

The company appointed Ryan Hair as new COO and named Graeme Pettit as interim CFO, while a formal search process to appoint a new CFO is under way.  Latto would remain in his role until July 14.

Hair is currently CEO of Covalent Lithium and has led the Mount Holland mine and overseen the commissioning of a 50 000 t/y lithium hydroxide refinery in Kwinana, Western Australia.

He brings more than 30 years of experience across mining and manufacturing, with deep expertise in engineering, operations, project delivery and commercial leadership.

Hair will start with Liontown in August and Smits will depart at the end of that month.

Liontown MD and CE Tony Ottaviano thanked Smits and Latto for their contributions to the company.

“From the early studies with a handful of employees, Adam has worked tirelessly to ensure that Kathleen Valley was developed in a way that respected the quality of the resource. To have taken the asset from identification to operations in just over six years and then a successful ramp-up is a fabulous achievement which few have delivered.

“From a personal standpoint I will miss Adam who I consider one of the best engineers I have had the pleasure to work with and they don’t make them like you anymore Adam. An Engineer’s engineer! You have left an indelible mark on the fabric of Liontown and we wish you all the best in your retirement,” he said.

Commenting on Latto’s departure, Ottaviano said he had been instrumental in securing funding and developing the financial frameworks that supported Liontown’s transition from developer to producer. “He successfully navigated the company through its early financial milestones, establishing a strong foundation for long-term value creation.

“I am very grateful for the experience, rigour and discipline Jon has brought to the role and the finance function at Liontown. We wish Jon all the best in his future endeavours.

"As we look to the future, we are very pleased to welcome Ryan as COO and Graeme as acting CFO. Ryan brings deep and relevant operational and commercial experience to our operations, but also to our leadership team at a time where we are transitioning the company from ramp-up to operations and ultimately to growth. Graeme’s long-standing involvement in the business ensures strong continuity in our financial leadership. We look forward to their contributions in this chapter of Liontown’s growth.”