Gratomic Appoints Stephen Woodhead Senior VP Finance, Namibia and Appoints Dean Esau HR Officer & Administrative Assistant, Namibia

Rhea-AI Summary

Gratomic Inc. has appointed Stephen Woodhead as Senior VP Finance and Dean Esau as HR Officer & Administrative Assistant, both in Namibia. Woodhead, with over 25 years of experience, previously served as CFO in multiple companies and will focus on financial operations as Gratomic commissions its processing facility. Esau brings extensive HR experience, enhancing the company's talent management capabilities. These additions are expected to strengthen Gratomic's leadership as it aims for full operational capabilities in 2021, while also solidifying contracts for graphite sourced from its Aukam project.

Positive

• Stephen Woodhead's extensive experience and background in finance may enhance operational efficiency.
• Dean Esau's HR expertise could improve talent acquisition and organizational culture.

Negative

• None.

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2021 / Gratomic Inc. ("GRAT", "Gratomic" or "the Company") (TSXV:GRAT)(OTXQX:CBULF)(FRANKFURT:CB82) is pleased to welcome two new team members to the Company. Stephen Woodhead has joined as as Senior VP Finance, Namibia and Dean Esau has started her new position as HR Officer & Administrative Assistant, Namibia.

Stephen brings experience with late stage exploration, development and operational mining companies, acting as CFO for three out of his last four positions. With dual citizenship in Canada and South Africa and boasting over 25 years' experience, Woodhead offers the knowledge and expertise required to successfully fill the role as Senior VP Finance. Woodhead's impressive resume also includes experience with the Toronto Stock Exchange. Stephen will report directly to the CFO.

His diverse breadth of skills includes overseeing risk management, budgeting and forecasting, insurance, reporting, audits, internal controls, and tax reporting to name a few. Stephen is a hands on team-player and prefers to learn the operations side of the Company in order to better understand the inner workings. Woodhead's positive attitude is rounded out with stellar interpersonal skills and a desire to excel.

"Stephen's background, skill set and interpersonal skills are a perfect fit for what Gratomic needs as it proceeds with the commissioning of its processing facility. He is a great addition to the team," commented Rodger Roden, CFO.

Dean Esau is a highly resourceful, results and compliance oriented professional with experience in Human Resources and Office Administration. Dean possesses strong interpersonal skills and is very much a team oriented individual. She has excellent time management skills, strong organizational skills, strong ethics and reliability. Esau's skillset has been refined over her career.

Esau's experience and expertise in drafting job descriptions, recruitment, interviewing, on-boarding orientation, and scheduling set her apart. She holds expertise in employee benefits programs, employment legislation, recording and implementing HR policies and procedures, payroll, and management of work permit/visa applications. Dean's well rounded practical experience supplemented by practical application makes her the ideal candidate to successfully fill the role of HR Officer and Administrative Assistant.

"Dean is quickly becoming my right hand. I am extremely proud of the team we are assembling and look forward to a very bright future for Gratomic," stated Lynne Brand General Manager and Head of HR Namibia.

"Gratomic is establishing an extremely well-rounded group of team-oriented individuals. It really makes me proud to see the team grow as we add new members. As a company, we are focused on maintaining the strength of a cohesive team with a shared vision which is an integral aspect of building a strong corporate culture," said Arno Brand, CEO & President.

About Gratomic Inc. 

Established in 2014, Gratomic is focused on introducing carbon-neutral, eco-friendly, high purity vein graphite to the global Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage supply chains. Gratomic is anticipating full operational capabilities in 2021. 

Gratomic is in the process of solidifying its plans for the micronization, spheronization, and coating of its Aukam vein graphite. This significant milestone is a small, additional step in the Company's proposed eco-friendly processing cycle and is intended to allow it to meet ideal battery grade standards for use in Li-ion battery anodes.  The Company's recent collaboration agreement with Forge Nano has advanced developments on its graphite finalization phase.

Forge Nano is a global leader in surface engineering and precision nano-coating technology, using Atomic Layer Deposition. Forge Nano's proprietary technology and manufacturing processes make angstrom-thick coatings fast, affordable and commercially viable for a wide range of materials, applications and industries. Forge Nano's suite of ALD and PALD products and services covers the full spectrum from lab-scale tools to commercial-scale manufacturing systems. 

GRAT plans to deliver mine-to-market traceability and guaranteed quality control. This will be accomplished by providing documented tracking on all graphite generated at its flagship Aukam Graphite Project. The tracking will begin at Aukam and will be verified at every stage during transport. 

Two off-take purchase agreements are currently held for lump-vein graphite sourced from Gratomic's Aukam Graphite Project in Namibia, Africa. Fulfillment of the contracts is anticipated to begin in 2021. The agreements exist with TODAQ and Phu Sumika. 

TODAQ is an innovative deeptech company that can containerize assets, transactions & markets, and will partner with Gratomic on its mine-to-market commodity tracking and trading. Containerized assets are verifiably unique, keep an immutable record of who has owned them, have embedded smart logic, can be transferred P2P, and are interoperable with any system.  Asset owners enjoy stronger ownership control, value retention when trading, and ability to prove authenticity in seconds. 

Phu Sumika is a large global graphite supplier to battery and lubrication companies. 

Gratomic Inc. is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol GRAT, on the OTCQX under the symbol CBULF and on the Frankfurt Exchange under the symbol CB82. 

For more information: visit the website at www.gratomic.ca or contact: 
Arno Brand at abrand@gratomic.ca or 416 561-4095 

Subscribe at gratomic.ca/contact/ to be added to our email list. 

"Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release." 

Forward Looking Statements: 

This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com)

SOURCE: Gratomic Inc.

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https://www.accesswire.com/639514/Gratomic-Appoints-Stephen-Woodhead-Senior-VP-Finance-Namibia-and-Appoints-Dean-Esau-HR-Officer-Administrative-Assistant-Namibia

FAQ

Who is Stephen Woodhead and what will he do at Gratomic?

Stephen Woodhead has been appointed as Senior VP Finance. He brings over 25 years of experience in finance, particularly in mining companies, and will oversee financial operations.

What is the role of Dean Esau at Gratomic?

Dean Esau has joined as HR Officer & Administrative Assistant, focusing on enhancing HR practices, including recruitment and compliance.

What impact could the new appointments have on Gratomic's operations?

The appointments of Woodhead and Esau are expected to strengthen the company's leadership and improve operational efficiencies as Gratomic aims for full operational capabilities in 2021.

What is Gratomic's plan for its Aukam Graphite Project?

Gratomic is solidifying its plans for processing Aukam vein graphite and has established off-take agreements for graphite sales, anticipated to begin in 2021.