Arafura Rare Earths has appointed a new managing director and chief executive officer following the departure of Gavin Lockyer, who has been with Arafura for over 17 years.
“On behalf of the board, I express sincere thanks to Gavin for his many and varied contributions to Arafura and the development of the Nolans project over many years,” Arafura chair Mark Southey said.
“Gavin was instrumental in driving the company forward and the many important steps taken, and agreements secured, by his team to commercially position us for the delivery phase of the Nolans project.”
Replacing Lockyer is Darryl Cuzzubbo, who has immediately assumed both roles of managing director and chief executive officer. He has been a non-executive director on the Arafura board since November 2021.
Cuzzubbo has more than 30 years of experience across global senior executive and executive directorial roles in multi-commodity, services and manufacturing businesses, with 24 years being spent at BHP.
At BHP, he was responsible for managing multiple complex operations such as Olympic Dam and large explosive manufacturing plants across more than 20 countries, delivering large greenfield and brownfield projects, as well as the financing of project development and acquisition activities.
“This transition reflects the board’s absolute focus on delivering and commissioning the Nolans project, as the company’s efforts to secure key off-take agreements and debt financing head towards a conclusion,” Southey said.
“Darryl has acquired an extensive understanding of Arafura and the rare earths market during his time with our board and that means he will now hit the ground running as he is well-known to our team and to our many major stakeholders in the project.”
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