Gold explorer Torque Metals has appointed a former Spartan Resources leadership team to guide the next phase of exploration and development at its Paris gold project in Western Australia.

Simon Lawson has been appointed nonexecutive chairperson-elect, Craig Jones as CEO and MD-elect, and David Coyne as nonexecutive director-elect.

Current MD Cristian Moreno and director Tolga Kumova will step down from the board following shareholder approval of the new appointments, while chairperson Evan Cranston will transition to a nonexecutive director role.

The incoming team previously worked together at Spartan, where they were involved in exploration success that led to the high-grade Never Never and Pepper gold discoveries at the Dalgaranga gold project. The discoveries helped transform Spartan into a high-grade gold developer, culminating in its A$2.5-billion merger with Ramelius Resources in July last year. 

Torque said the new team brings strong technical, operational and capital markets experience across the Western Australian gold sector and will focus on unlocking the exploration potential of the Paris project and the company’s broader landholding in the Kalgoorlie district.

The Paris gold project is located about 100 km south of Kalgoorlie, one of the world’s most prolific gold mining regions and home to major operations including Super Pit, Mungari operations and St Ives operations.

Torque holds about 1 200 km² of tenure in the area, which the company believes remains significantly underexplored despite its location within a major gold belt.

Lawson said the team planned to apply a discovery-driven exploration strategy similar to the approach used at Spartan.

“We are excited to bring together a team that has previously worked successfully together at Spartan Resources and to apply that same discovery-focused mindset at Torque Metals.

“The Never Never and Pepper discoveries were great examples of the significant value that can be created through disciplines exploration, underpinned by a strong geological understanding of gold systems."

Jones said the company’s project portfolio and location in a well-established mining region created strong potential for development success.

“Torque Metals presents a compelling opportunity. The company holds a highly prospective project portfolio, and we are now enhancing with individuals who have a proven track record of delivering discovery and development success in Western Australia.

“With the projects located on granted mining leases just one hour from Kalgoorlie – one of the world’s major gold mining hubs – we are well positioned to accelerate the development of any new discoveries in this infrastructure-rich region.”
Torque also announced that the incoming leadership team would cornerstone a A$3-million capital raising at A$0.27 a share, which together with existing funds would give the company a pro forma cash position of about A$19-million to accelerate exploration in 2026.