ASX-listed Trigg Minerals has appointed antimony market expert Wiehann Kleynhans as VP, US downstream operations, as the company ramps up plans to establish a vertically integrated antimony business in North America.

Kleynhans will lead Trigg’s smelting and processing strategy following its acquisition of the Antimony Canyon project (ACP) in Utah, announced last week. He joins Trigg with more than a decade of global experience across antimony trading, supply chains, and project development.

“Our ability to attract a candidate of Wiehann’s calibre is a testament to the quality and potential of our two major antimony projects and the team we are assembling to take these projects forward,” said Trigg Minerals MD Andre Booyzen.

“Wiehann is an antimony specialist with years of experience in negotiating offtake deals and understands the market forces for this commodity, and we are excited to bring his level of expertise to our team.”

From 2021 to 2024, Kleynhans served as head of business development at Strategic and Precious Metals Processing (SPMP) in Oman — home to one of the few antimony smelters outside China. There, he helped grow the company’s international sourcing networks, managed commercial negotiations, and secured multiple offtake deals.

He later worked as an independent antimony consultant and previously held corporate finance and operations roles with MMG and Ernst & Young in South Africa.

At Trigg, Kleynhans will spearhead efforts to develop a downstream processing strategy for North America, which may include building a smelter, forging partnerships with government and industry players, negotiating offtake deals, and helping secure US government funding for exploration and development.

Trigg’s strategic shift into antimony comes amid growing international efforts to secure supply chains away from Chinese dominance. The ACP acquisition and the company’s existing Wild Cattle Creek project in New South Wales, Australia, mark a new phase in Trigg’s transformation from a sulphate of potash explorer into a diversified critical minerals player.

“Our focus is on taking the Antimony Canyon and Wild Cattle Creek projects into development and executing the strategy that will bring our company and shareholders the best value from that process,” said Booyzen. “Wiehann will help us achieve that.”