The Team
The Pallinghurst Group have a unique, experienced senior management team with a multifaceted skillset including the development of mining companies, private equity as well as finance and corporate development.
We have a proven track record and an in-depth industry knowledge of assets, companies, people and trends. As a team, we pride ourselves on being recognised for our strategic insight and vision, decades of value creation, being highly regarded by international investors, and our trademark of pioneering innovative and sustainable transactions.
Since our formation over 15 years ago, The Pallinghurst Group’s ethos has been built on integrity, sustainability, teamwork and leadership. Through those four pillars, The Pallinghurst Group is focused on providing its investors with superior and sustainable returns.
Our four partners are Brian Gilbertson, the Non-Executive Chairman, Arne H. Frandsen and Andrew Willis, the Managing Partners, and Chris Shepherd, Partner and Managing Director.
The Partners provide The Pallinghurst Group with leadership and strategic guidance as well as hands-on management and execution oversight. As a team, the Partners have complementary skills and experience providing a unique skillset which in turn unlocks and maximises the potential of its portfolio companies. Through a unique hands-on approach, the Pallinghurst Team provides management and oversight which in turn maximises value for the benefit of all our stakeholders.
The Partners are supported by an experienced team of the highest calibre professionals. The complementary skills of the professional individuals of the Pallinghurst Team, provides a complete knowledge base which enables us to do our asset evaluations, deal execution as well as ongoing management in house.
In addition to its core team, Pallinghurst has identified a group of highly qualified senior mining professionals as well as experienced financial managers, who will be available to become direct employees of the companies Pallinghurst invests in – if and when such needs are required.
Headquartered in London with additional offices in Canada and Guernsey.
Partners
Brian Gilbertson
Brian Gilbertson has extensive experience in the global natural resources industry. He has held senior positions in many leading companies including as Managing Director of Rustenburg Platinum, Chief Executive of Gencor Limited, BHP Billiton and Vedanta Resources.
Arne H. Frandsen
Having studied Law in Europe, Africa and Asia, Arne Frandsen holds a Masters in Law. Arne has over ten years’ of investment banking experience with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, providing strategic advice and structuring mergers and acquisitions as well as corporate finance transactions for clients in 30 different countries, raising in excess of US$20 billion of capital.
Andrew Willis
Andrew Willis has over 15 years’ experience in international finance, structuring and private equity. He started his professional career as an accountant in New Zealand and after moving to Europe spent three years with pan-European private equity investment manager Candover Investments.
Christopher Shepherd
Chris Shepherd joined Pallinghurst in 2010 and has 20 years’ experience in international finance, investment banking and private equity. He is a former investment banker and has extensive experience in transaction origination, structuring and execution in the mining sector.
Senior Advisors
Tim Keating
Mr. Keating is focussing on the Pallinghurst Group’s overall investor and capital allocation strategy. He also spearheads Pallinghurst’s battery-grade Nickel Sulphide strategy. Tim has more than 20 years of experience in mining engineering, resource finance, executive management and investment strategy.
Betty Joy LeBlanc
Ms. LeBlanc acts as the senior corporate communications advisor to the Pallinghurst Group. She is also the interface with the Group’s institutional investors. Before joining Pallinghurst, she was the Director of Corporate Communications of Lithium Americas Corp.
George Nakos
Mr. Nakos acts as senior external financial advisor to The Pallinghurst Group. He is Joint-CEO of Grey Matter financial advisory services. For almost a decade, George has advised The Pallinghurst Group on a number of key M&A transactions as well as capital raisings.
Julien Naginski
Julien Naginski is senior external legal counsel at Pallinghurst. He is a partner at Chammas & Marcheteau in Paris and is admitted to the bar in Paris, New York and England & Wales, and is a member of the board of the World Association of Mining Lawyers.
Group Heads
Group Head of Mining and Engineering
Spiro Pippos
Spiro Pippos oversees our mining engineering and mine management upstream effort. Spiro is Australian and holds an MBA from London Business School. In addition, he earned a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) with honours as well as a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) from University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Group Head of Corporate Finance
Sean Thijsse
Sean Thijsse joined Pallinghurst in 2011 and has been an integral part of Pallinghurst’s corporate finance team for over a decade. Specifically, he headed the execution of Pallinghurst’s Steel Making Materials strategy which resulted in building the Tshipi manganese mine into the single largest manganese mine in South Africa and the top five in the world.
Group Head of Metallurgy
Zama Ntombela
Zama Ntombela oversees our processing and downstream analysis. Zama is South African and has earned a master’s degree in Management of Finance and Investment (Wits Business School). She also holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Metallurgical Engineering) – First Class & Honours (University of Pretoria).
Group Head of
Geology
Dr. Alex Middleton
Dr. Alex Middleton is Head of Pallinghurst Canada and spearheads the Group’s geological analysis. Alex is British but based in Montreal, Canada, and earned a PhD with a focus on geochemistry as well as natural resource research and development from the University of Queensland, Australia.
Group Head of Investments
Richard Dudley
Richard Dudley joined Pallinghurst in 2016 and has been a key part of the corporate finance team ever since. He initially worked on several transactions across the group, which included the successful Pallinghurst Resources takeover of Gemfields, and restructurings within Pallinghurst’s platinum group metals portfolio.
Group Head of HR and Operations
Alice Coslett
Alice Coslett delivers wide ranging expertise to The Pallinghurst Group. Alongside managing these fundamental personnel processes, her role extends to supporting the Finance Team and advising Management.
Group Head of Compliance
Anthony Payne
Anthony Payne oversees regulatory compliance throughout The Pallinghurst Group, along with ensuring the group adheres to positive ESG practices and global tax regimes.
Global Head of Accounting
Timene Stemmet
Timene Stemmet joined Pallinghurst in 2009 and ever since has been managing the accounting needs of the Group’s offices across the globe.
Senior Business Management
Financial Modelling
Eve James
Eve James joined The Pallinghurst Group in 2018 providing varied administrative support to the London Team, including senior members within the core investment and compliance teams.
Carissa Mosser O'Neill
Carissa Mosser O’Neill provides high-level secretarial, administrative and information management support to Andrew Willis and the wider team.
Ulandi Langhein
Ulandi Langhein has over 30 years of experience in various disciplines such as Business, Financial and Project Management as well as Operating Excellence and Community engagement.
Financial Modelling
Edmund Zimmer
Edmund Zimmer joined Pallinghurst in 2021 and provides financial reporting and modelling support for various entities across the Group. Edmund is fully exam-qualified through the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
