Management Team
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![David Rae company photo](/site/assets/files/9494/david_rae_1.jpg)
David Rae
David Rae is a seasoned international mining and smelting executive with extensive experience in Africa, Canada and Europe. He has held senior executive and operational roles in international mining companies including Falconbridge and Xstrata. David is a collaborative leader with a reputation of building high performing teams to optimize current assets allowing the business to focus on growth and business development. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical Metallurgy from Leeds University in Yorkshire, England.
Mr. Rae joined DPM in 2012 as Senior Vice President, Operations and was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 2014. In May 2020, he assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer.
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Navin Dyal company photo](/site/assets/files/15540/navin_1.jpg)
Navin Dyal
Navin Dyal was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Dundee Precious Metals in November 2022. Mr. Dyal has over 20 years of finance and public company experience and is an accomplished senior executive with a track record of success in financial and strategic leadership, capital funding and mergers and acquisitions. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Teranga Gold Corporation for nine years prior to its acquisition by Endeavour Mining Corporation.
Prior to that, he spent seven years with Barrick Gold Corporation from 2005 to 2012 in various finance leadership roles, including most recently as Head of Finance, Copper Business Unit, and also held roles that spanned all areas of finance, including planning, budgeting, internal controls, and external reporting. He held finance positions with a telecommunications firm from 2003 to 2005 and was an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1999 to 2003. Mr. Dyal is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto.
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Iliya Garkov company photo](/site/assets/files/9502/iliya_garkov_1.jpg)
Iliya Garkov
Iliya Garkov has over three decades of international mining experience in Bulgaria, Australia and Armenia. He commenced work in the Chelopech mine in 1994 as a mine shift boss underground and continuously moved ranks. Since 2003, when DPM acquired its assets in Bulgaria, he has held a number of leadership roles within the Company, most recently as Senior Vice President, European Operations. He was a key contributor to the transformation of the Chelopech mine into a world-class mining operation and the successful commissioning and ramp-up of the Ada Tepe mine and has led the Company’s exploration activities in Bulgaria and Serbia.
Mr. Garkov has a PhD in mining engineering from the University of Mining and Geology St. Ivan Rilski in Bulgaria and is a graduate of the London Business School Senior Executive Programme.
![Kelly Stark-Anderson company photo](/site/assets/files/9498/kelly_1.jpg)
Kelly Stark-Anderson
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Kelly Stark-Anderson company photo](/site/assets/files/9498/kelly_1.jpg)
Kelly Stark-Anderson
Ms. Stark-Anderson has over 25 years experience as a lawyer. Before joining Dundee Precious Metals, she was VP Legal and Corporate Secretary for SSR Mining Inc. and prior to that, she led her own firm providing corporate/commercial, governance and securities compliance services to public, private and crown entities. Previously Ms. Stark-Anderson held progressively senior in-house counsel positions with the Spectra Energy group of companies. She also practiced law with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP in the firm’s Toronto and Vancouver offices. Ms. Stark-Anderson obtained her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts, Honours Economics from the University of Calgary.
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![W. John DeCooman Jr. company photo](/site/assets/files/9496/i-qfrgnpd-x3.jpg)
W. John DeCooman Jr.
John DeCooman was appointed Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, effective June 10, 2024.
Mr. DeCooman has 30 years of experience relating to corporate strategy, finance, capital markets, investor relations, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. From 2020 to 2023, Mr. DeCooman led the start-up of Sweetwater Royalties, a privately-held base and industrial minerals royalty company, as President and Chief Executive Officer. From 2009 to 2020, he was Senior Vice President, Business Development and Strategy at SSR Mining. He has also served in various analyst and investment capacities over a more than ten-year period in investment banking, as well as other corporate roles.
Mr. DeCooman holds a Bachelor of Science, Mineral Economics from The Pennsylvania State University, and a Master of Science, Mineral Economics from the Colorado School of Mines.
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Nikolay Hristov company photo](/site/assets/files/9504/nikolay_hristov_1.jpg)
Nikolay Hristov
Nikolay Hristov obtained both a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Mineral Processing from the University of Mining and Geology in Sofia and has completed courses in both Engineering Geo-ecology and International Economic Relations. He also recently completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School. Prior to joining Chelopech in 2004, Mr. Hristov held positions in mineral processing, research and development. Starting as a metallurgist with DPM, Mr. Hristov moved through a variety of increasingly senior roles before assuming the role of Vice President and General Manager, Chelopech Mine in 2011. Mr. Hristov established a foundation of continuous improvement at the Chelopech mine, overseeing an expansion that doubled the mine’s output. During his tenure as VP and GM for Chelopech, Mr. Hristov played a central role working with a diverse stakeholder group and draws on that experience in his role as Senior Vice President, Sustainable Business Development.
Visepresidentes
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Sylvia Chen company photo](/site/assets/files/15542/sylvia_chen_1.jpg)
Sylvia Chen
Sylvia Chen is an accomplished finance leader with close to 20 years of experience in finance functions. Ms. Chen joined Dundee Precious Metals in January 2011 and has served progressively senior roles as corporate controller and global controller. She was appointed as Vice President, Finance in 2022, providing leadership in regulatory financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, tax compliance, and maintenance of the Company’s internal control environment. Ms. Chen started her finance career with public accounting firms and prior to joining DPM, she held financial management roles in Canadian and U.S. listed public companies within the health care and real estate industries. Ms. Chen is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Financial Analyst, and holds an MBA in Accounting from the University of Toronto and a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Hong Kong.
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Mark Crawley company photo](/site/assets/files/9500/crawley.jpeg)
Mark Crawley
Mark Crawley joined Dundee Precious Metals as Vice President, Commercial in November 2016 with 20 years of nonferrous metals industry experience in sales, raw materials purchasing and commodities trading. Prior to joining DPM, Mr. Crawley served as Senior Vice President Commercial at KGHM International Ltd. He has also held positions with Noranda, Traxys (Sogem) and Luis Dreyfus Commodities in Canada, Belgium and Switzerland. Mr. Crawley holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of New Brunswick as well as an MBA from Simon Fraser University.
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Mirco Nolte company photo](/site/assets/files/9508/mirco-nolte.png)
Mirco Nolte
Mirco Nolte began his career by joining the Tsumeb smelter as a metallurgist in 2007. Since then, he has held increasingly senior operational roles at our Namibian and Bulgarian operations. In 2015 Mirco accepted the role Corporate Director, Processing to lead a number of significant enhancements and optimization programs throughout our operational sites. In June 2019, he earned the role of Vice President Operational Excellence, and became Vice-President, Projects in early 2024. Mirco Nolte earned a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and Masters of Science from Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He received his Masters of Business Administration from ESADE Business School in Spain.
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Anna Ivanova company photo](/site/assets/files/15544/anna_ivanova_1.jpg)
Anna Ivanova
Anna Ivanova was appointed Vice President, Business Optimization in September 2022. Ms. Ivanova joined Dundee Precious Metals in 2005, and her experience includes systems design and implementation, internal audit, and business optimization. In her previous role as Director, Business Systems, she worked in close collaboration with the Company’s operations and corporate functions, overseeing key initiatives related to DPM’s Operating Model, Business Architecture, Business Planning System, and performance optimization and reporting. Prior to joining DPM, Anna held finance roles in the pharmaceutical sector. Ms. Ivanova holds a Masters in Finance from the University of National and World Economy, and an Executive MBA from the American University in Bulgaria.
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Matthieu Risgallah company photo](/site/assets/files/9510/matthieu_2.jpg)
Matthieu Risgallah
Matthieu Risgallah brings more than 20 years of leadership and technology experience including digital, information technology, and operational technology. He has worked in consulting and asset intensive industries including pharmaceutical and chemical multinational corporations, where his focus has been on value creation and delivery. He has broad international experience working in France, Switzerland and the Netherlands and lead multicultural global teams, before joining our Corporate team, based in Toronto, in 2018. In June 2019 he became Vice President, Technology with oversight for all locations. Matthieu holds a Bachelor Degree of Business Administration from HEC Montréal, and a Masters Degree from Ecole de Management Lyon Business School.
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Tsvetomir Velkov company photo](/site/assets/files/16095/tsvetomir_velkov.jpg)
Tsvetomir Velkov
Tsvetomir Velkov was appointed General Manager, Chelopech in 2022. He first joined the company over 20 years ago, starting as an intern at the Chelopech mine while he was a student at St. Ivan Rilsky University of Mining and Geology. He then moved to the permanent position of Geotechnical Engineer in 2001. He has held progressively senior roles, including Senior Geotechnical Engineer, Mine Superintendent and Technical Services Manager, and Operations Manager. Under his leadership, the Smart Center successfully transitioned from a pilot project into full operation, and he also led a number of successful optimization projects. In 2024, he was appointed Vice President, Technical Services.
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Alex Wilson company photo](/site/assets/files/9512/alex_wilson_2.jpg)
Alex Wilson
Alex Wilson brings over 20 years of human resources experience, having focused the last 15 years in the mining industry. Before joining Dundee Precious Metals, Ms. Wilson served as Vice President, Organizational Effectiveness for Barrick Gold Corporation, and previous to that, held progressively senior roles in the Human Resources team supporting the global mine site operations, projects and the corporate headquarters. Ms. Wilson has broad expertise across the human resources spectrum and provides leadership in the areas of talent management, learning & development, expatriate management, talent acquisition, organization design, workforce planning and program service delivery. Prior to Barrick Gold, Ms. Wilson held positions in Recruiting and Human Resources consulting for Deloitte. Ms. Wilson holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education from York University.
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Lyubomir Hainov company photo](/site/assets/files/16091/lyubomir_hainov.jpg)
Lyubomir Hainov
Lyubomir Hainov was appointed General Manager, Ada Tepe, in 2022. He first joined the company as a mechanical fitter in the Chelopech mine’s process plant. Two years later, he became a shift boss and then gradually assumed responsibility for mechanical maintenance and the maintenance for the process plant. In 2011, he was appointed Chelopech Process Plant Director. From 2013 to 2016, Mr. Hainov was Director, Maintenance for Chelopech. In 2016, Mr. Hainov was appointed as the Operations Director of the Ada Tepe mine, where he played an integral role as part of the operations readiness team as the mine commenced production in 2019. He was also a key contributor to the development of the cutting edge Integrate Mine Waste Facility at Ada Tepe, which is the first of its kind to be built in Europe. In 2024, he was appointed Vice President, Operational Readiness.
Gerentes Generales
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Paul Ivascanu company photo](/site/assets/files/16093/paul_ivascanu.jpg)
Paul Ivascanu
Paul Ivascanu joined DPM in September 2019 as a Director, Exploration, and in April 2023, he was appointed General Manager, Exploration. Mr. Ivascanu as over 15 years of experience in exploration management, effective targeting and drill testing on brownfield and greenfield environments, resource modelling and evaluation of a wide range of ore deposits. Prior to joining DPM, he held roles with Barrick Gold Corporation and Eldorado Gold Corporation, and was most recently Regional Chief Geologist for SE Europe and Turkey.
Mr. Ivascanu holds a MSc. In Geology (Petroloy & Ore Deposits) from the University of Bucharest and completed part of his graduate training at the University of Salzberg.
![Arrow Logo](/site/templates/build/img/arrow-blue.png)
![Irena Tsakova company photo](/site/assets/files/16442/t20220304-015.jpg)
Irena Tsakova
Irena Tsakova has a master’s degree in chemical engineering and in Environmental Monitoring, Control and Health. With her experience in the Environment Department of Kremikovtsi, Iron & Steel Complex in the Sofia District, Irena gained a deep understanding of the mining and processing industry. Having started in the Chelopech mine in 1999, Irena continued to develop professionally to become Director, HSE and Community Relations, at Chelopech.
In 2013 Irena was promoted to Operations Director responsible for the planning and development of the Krumovgrad gold deposit. In that role, she was recognized as one of the 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining 2015 as part of the biggest international forum of investments in the mining industry, Mines and Money. From 2018 to 2024 Irena held the role of Director, Permitting and Legal, for the two Dundee Precious Metals subsidiaries in Bulgaria. In April 2024 she assumed the role of General Manager, Ada Tepe.