London-listed Pensana, which is developing a sustainable magnet metal supply chain, has appointed Karen Brown to succeed Rocky Smith as COO with effect from October 1.

Smith will continue to consult with Pensana as part of the owner's team developing the Longonjo rare earths project, in Angola.

"Rocky's expertise has contributed hugely to navigating the various project development stages over the past five years and we are fortunate to retain his services going forward, while also giving him the well-deserved time to pursue family activities.

"I'm particularly pleased that Karen, who has already been advising us for the past year, will seamlessly assume the broader role of COO," comments Pensana CEO Tim George.

Pensana says Brown brings a unique skill set and a wealth of rare earth production and commercial experience to this stage of the company's development. She spent 21 years as MD at Neo Materials Chemicals & Oxides for Europe, part of Neo Performance Materials, which develops magnetic powders, rare earth magnets, magnetic assemblies, specialty chemicals, metals and alloys for the rare earth sector.

She oversaw new product development and held extended responsibility for international human capital strategy across factories in Thailand, China and the US. She also has extensive experience in rare earth chemical engineering and oversaw the development of Neo's separation facility at Jiangyin, China, a cornerstone of Neo's global operations.

More recently, she has been consulting with Pensana, particularly on downstream and market activities, providing her with strong familiarity with the company and its objectives.

"I am honoured to join Pensana as COO during such a pivotal stage of the Longonjo project development. Drawing on my longstanding experience in rare earths and international operations, including working with multicultural teams across Asia, Europe and the US, I look forward to collaborating with the talented Pensana team to deliver operational excellence, expand market presence and drive sustainable growth in this critical sector," Brown comments.