LIFT Announces Changes to its Board of Directors

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Li-FT Power Ltd. (LIFT) announces new board members and resignations, with Ms. Eva Bellissimo, Mr. Paul Gruner, and Ms. Andree St-Germain joining the Board of Directors, effective immediately. The Company also announces the resignation of Julie Hajduk and Wanda Cutler from the Board. Ms. Bellissimo brings extensive legal, financing, and corporate governance expertise, while Mr. Gruner has a background in renewable energy, oil & gas, and mining, with a focus on Indigenous business leadership. The new appointments signify a strategic move to strengthen the Company's leadership and industry expertise, reflecting a commitment to driving growth and innovation.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Li-FT Power Ltd. (“LIFT” or the “Company”) (TSXV: LIFT) (OTCQX: LIFFF) (Frankfurt: WS0) is pleased to announce that Ms. Eva Bellissimo, Mr. Paul Gruner, and Ms. Andree St-Germain have joined the Company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. The Company would also like to announce the resignation of Julie Hajduk and Wanda Cutler from LIFT’s Board of Directors. The Board would like to sincerely thank Ms. Hajduk and Ms. Cutler for their service and contribution to the Company and wishes them well in their future endeavours.

Ms. Bellissimo co-leads the Global Metals & Mining Group at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, a leading national law firm with offices in Canada, New York and London, and brings to LIFT a wide breadth of legal, financing, cross-border M&A and corporate governance expertise. With more than 20 years of experience in the mining industry, Eva has been a trusted advisor to numerous companies in the sector, having led hundreds of transactions. Named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada and recognized by Chambers Canada for her resource sector expertise, Eva has developed a strong reputation as a strategic lawyer and advisor. Eva has sat on a number of public company boards and currently chairs the governance committee at I-80 Gold Corp, a TSX and NYSE listed issuer. Eva also lectures on Mining Finance at the Osgoode Certificate in Mining Law Program.

Mr. Gruner is a senior executive leader with a background in renewable energy, oil & gas, and mining. He brings a wealth of experience in Indigenous business leadership across diverse regions, having previously served as the CEO for Det’on Cho Management LP, the economic arm of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation in the Northwest Territories, and the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation, the economic arm of the Tahltan Nation. Mr. Gruner currently serves as the CEO for Tłı̨chǫ Investment Corporation, which is the economic arm of the Tłı̨chǫ First Nation whose traditional territory includes the area where the Yellowknife Lithium project is located. His track record speaks volumes about his ability to achieve outstanding business results while collaborating closely with Indigenous stakeholders. He has a dynamic range of experience in strategic leadership, mergers and acquisitions, business development, strategic partnerships, financial management, project management, corporate governance, contract negotiations, capacity building and job creation for citizens, and environmental, social, and corporate governance.

Ms. St-Germain is the CFO of Integra Resources Corp and an experienced mining executive with an extensive background in M&A, strategic planning, project development and mining finance. She began her mining career in investment banking and joined Golden Queen Mining in 2013 as CFO. During her tenure at Golden Queen, she played an instrumental role in securing project finance and overseeing Golden Queen as it transitioned from development to production. She then joined Integra Gold as CFO in early 2017 and helped oversee the sale to Eldorado Gold. Ms. St-Germain is a director of Osisko Mining Corp and Ascot Resources Ltd. Andree holds the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) designation.

Francis MacDonald, CEO of LIFT comments, “Firstly, I would like to thank Julie Hajduk and Wanda Cutler for their service on LIFT’s Board since the inception of the Company. They have both helped to oversee LIFT grow from a small private company into one of the premier hard rock lithium explorers in North America.

I would like to welcome Eva, Paul, and Andree to the LIFT Board. Their combined experiences across capital markets, M&A transactions, Indigenous-lead business initiatives, and corporate governance will support LIFT in reaching its strategic goal of rapid project development.”

LIFT Engages Native Ads

LIFT is pleased to announce that the Company has engaged Native Ads Inc. ("Native Ads"), a New York-based company with offices in Vancouver B.C., to execute a comprehensive digital media marketing campaign for LIFT, supporting ongoing efforts to increase awareness. This comprehensive advertising program will be designed to build brand familiarity and general recognition with the LIFT brand and raise awareness within online investor content platforms. Native Ads will employ state-of-the-art digital advertising, paid distribution, media buying and content creation to execute this important initiative. This programmatic digital advertising campaign is planned to run for up to 12 months or until budget exhaustion, at the cost of approximately $125,000 (USD). Services provided pursuant to the agreement will include media placements and distribution and strategic services, including content creation, web development, advertising creative development, search engine optimization and strategic digital advertising consulting. The Company retains the option to extend both the campaign's duration and budget. The campaign will commence in Q1 of 2024, with exact timelines to be agreed upon by the Company and Native Ads. The Company and Native Ads act at arm's length, and Native Ads has no present interest, directly or indirectly, in the Company or its securities. 

LIFT Engages New Era Publishing Inc.

The Company also announces that it has entered into an agreement (the “Agreement”) with New Era Publishing Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, to provide marketing services including content creation and distribution and market awareness and educational campaigns. Prior to the commencement of services, New Era will receive an advance deposit of US$625,000 to secure appropriate space for the campaign, with a further US$625,000 to be paid to commence creative development and digital marketing. New Era provides capital markets advisory, media and editorials and a comprehensive report service with the goal of marketing awareness on various websites and platforms. Members of New Era have purchased securities of the Company because of what those members deem to be the value proposition of the company and will disclose their ownership in all marketing material and will not sell any shares during the active period of the campaign. New Era will provide the Company with an opportunity to review all content describing the Company generated by New Era prior to its publication and New Era will not publish or distribute any content without the prior approval of the Company.

Stock Options Grant

The Company announces that it has granted stock options (the “Options”) to its directors, officers, employees and consultants to acquire a total of 410,000 common shares of the Company at an exercise price of $7.00 per share for a period of five years. The vesting terms are structured as follows: 165,000 options undergo a phased vesting, with 25% vested on the grant date and an additional 25% on each 6/12/18-month anniversary. Another set of 245,000 options follows a distinct vesting schedule, with 50% vesting on the 12-month anniversary and the remaining 50% vesting on the 24-month anniversary.

About LIFT

LIFT is a mineral exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of lithium pegmatite projects located in Canada. The Company’s flagship project is the Yellowknife Lithium Project located in Northwest Territories, Canada. LIFT also holds three early-stage exploration properties in Quebec, Canada with excellent potential for the discovery of buried lithium pegmatites, as well as the Cali Project in Northwest Territories within the Little Nahanni Pegmatite Group.

For further information, please contact:
Francis MacDonald         Chief Executive Officer         Tel: + 1.604.609.6185         Email: info@li-ft.com		Daniel Gordon Investor Relations Tel: +1.604.609.6185 Email: investors@li-ft.com
Website: www.li-ft.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements included in this press release constitute forward-looking information or statements (collectively, “forward-looking statements”), including those identified by the expressions “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “may”, “should” and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect current expectations regarding future results or events. This press release contains forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements and information reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the company with respect to the matter described in this new release. 

Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which are based on current expectations as of the date of this release and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Additional information about these assumptions and risks and uncertainties is contained under "Risk Factors and Uncertainties" in the Company's latest annual information form filed on March 30, 2023, which is available under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca, and in other filings that the Company has made and may make with applicable securities authorities in the future. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as to the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

Neither the 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 news release.

FAQ

Who are the new board members of Li-FT Power Ltd. (LIFT)?

The new board members are Ms. Eva Bellissimo, Mr. Paul Gruner, and Ms. Andree St-Germain.

Who resigned from the board of Li-FT Power Ltd. (LIFT)?

Julie Hajduk and Wanda Cutler have resigned from the Board of Directors.

What expertise does Ms. Bellissimo bring to the company?

Ms. Bellissimo brings extensive legal, financing, and corporate governance expertise to Li-FT Power Ltd.

What is Mr. Gruner's background and experience?

Mr. Gruner has a background in renewable energy, oil & gas, and mining, with a focus on Indigenous business leadership.

What is the significance of the new board appointments for Li-FT Power Ltd. (LIFT)?

The new appointments signify a strategic move to strengthen the Company's leadership and industry expertise, reflecting a commitment to driving growth and innovation.