By Brenton Cordeiro
July 19 (Reuters) – West Africa-focused Avocet Mining Plc
has named engineering veteran David Cather as its new
chief executive, as it seeks to reassure the market on its
operations and boost shares battered by reduced output outlook
and worries over expansion plans.
The miner said on Thursday it had accepted Brett Richards’
resignation, appointing mining engineer Cather, who joined the
company in May 2012 as chief operating officer, in his place.
Last month, Avocet cut its production outlook for the full
year citing equipment availability issues and lower recoveries
and processing rates at its flagship Inata mine in Burkina Faso,
and raised cost forecasts by a quarter.
“What the company needs at this juncture is somebody who is
strong operationally and that is my good self,” Cather, who has
worked with European Goldfields, Anglo American Plc and
De Beers, told Reuters. “The imperative for Avocet going forward
is to have an operational focus and I am an operator at heart.”
Avocet has a pipeline of exploration projects across 21
exploration licenses in Burkina Faso and Guinea. Its only
operational mine is Inata, which produced 167,000 ounces of gold
in 2011, and that has been the focus of analyst worries.
“The market may have mixed views on the announcement but
given it appeared that Avocet has struggled to get a handle on
the Inata operation, Cather’s promotion appears sensible,” Numis
Securities analyst Cailey Barker said.
In its statement on June 29, the miner cut its 2012 gold
production guidance to between 135,000 and 140,000 ounces, down
from 160,000 ounces it originally estimated.
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