Gill Winckler President and Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Winckler joins Coalspur from BHP Billiton, where she has worked for the past 15 years in a number of senior executive roles. Gill was Chief Development Officer of the Energy Coal division where she was responsible for BHP Billiton’s thermal coal business development activities and project growth pipeline around the world. During her tenure BHP Billiton significantly increased its thermal coal presence in Australia and also initiated and advanced various expansion projects in South Africa.
Most recently Ms. Winckler was Vice President of Strategy and Development for BHP Billiton’s Diamonds and Specialty Products division based in Canada. In this role she was instrumental in advancing the company’s potash growth program in Canada, specifically delivering two successful market acquisitions and multiple exploration programs, as well as progressing projects towards Feasibility Study and securing the required port and rail options.
Ms. Winckler's earlier positions included Global Practice Leader for Strategy and Business Development and Director of Corporate Finance at Billiton, before its merger with BHP. Ms. Winckler is a Chartered Accountant and holds a B Comm (Hons) and a B.Sc.
Jay Bell Vice President, Finance and acting Chief Financial Officer
Mr Bell holds the positions of Vice President, Finance and acting CFO where he is responsible for financial management and control of the company. Mr Bell is based out of the Calgary office.
Mr Bell holds a Bachelor of Management degree and has been a Chartered Accountant since 1993. Mr Bell has over twenty years of financial and operational experience with large public and small private companies. Through his involvement in operational and corporate roles at Teck Coal and its predecessors he has gained extensive knowledge of coal mining production, sales, logistics, business process development and systems implementation.
Wayne Drier Vice President, Strategy and Development
Mr Drier holds the position of Vice President, Strategy and Development where he is responsible for corporate finance and the business development activities of the Company, including structuring of the project finance required for the development of the Vista Coal Project.
Mr Drier has over 15 years experience in business development, commercial and corporate finance roles within major mining companies and investment banks. Prior to joining Coalspur, Mr Drier was the Commercial Executive for Mantra Resources Limited, a TSX/ASX listed uranium exploration company, where he oversaw the recent sale of the company to JSC Atomredmetzoloto for an all-cash consideration of A$1.02 Billion. While in this position Mr Drier was also responsible for negotiating off-take arrangements and managing a number of the commercial aspects of the bankable feasibility study on the company’s uranium project.
Colin Gilligan Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Gilligan holds the position of Chief Operating Officer where he has overall responsibility for the efficient development and commissioning of the Vista Project Phase 1 and Phase 2. Thereafter, Mr. Gilligan will have responsibility for all operations aspects of the company.
He has 24 years of mining and project development experience at senior levels and previously worked in South Africa and Australia. He studied Mining Engineering and Mineral Economics and most recently attended the AMP at Harvard Business School. Prior to joining Coalspur, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of Mitsui Coal Pty Ltd for 3 years where he had responsibility for operations producing 12 million equity tons of coal, as well as the growth and development of their global coal business. Before that, Mr. Gilligan was Executive Manager, Resources Development Group for Thiess Pty Ltd, in a role providing mining and business development support across 12 operations for 5 years. As a consequence of that experience, he brings a relentless focus on costs and capital efficiency.
Kim Humphreys Vice President, Human Resources and Administration
Ms. Humphreys holds the position of Vice President, Human Resources and Administration where she is responsible for the development and implementation of Coalspur’s Human Resources (HR) strategy and operations; Health and Safety (H&S) program; and Administration services including internal communications, facilities services, and training/development.
Ms. Humphreys’ progressive career spans across various industries and complex leadership positions, including unionized and non-unionized environments. Passionate about people and creating a strong workplace culture that attracts and retains top talent, Ms. Humphreys has proven capability to develop, align and successfully execute HR strategy in support of organizational objectives.
Ms. Humphreys holds a Bachelor’s of Commerce and a Master’s of Arts in Education. She received her Evidence Based Coaching Certificate from Fielding University in 2011. Ms. Humphreys is a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and a member of various professional associations throughout Alberta and Canada.
David Leslie Vice President, Vista Project
Mr Leslie holds the position of Vice President, Vista Project where he is responsible for mine engineering work, including the delineation of reserves, on the Vista and Vista South Coal Project’s. Mr Leslie is based out of the Calgary office.
Mr Leslie is highly experienced in the development of open pit mines and mine planning for Western Canadian coal mines. Mr Leslie has spent over 20 years in the mining industry and has held a variety of senior positions in Elk Valley Coal and its predecessor Fording Coal, Teck Resources and AMEC.
David Montpetit Vice President, Externals Affairs and Logistics
Mr. Montpetit holds the position of Vice President, External Affairs and Logistics where he is responsible for directing Coalspur’s internal and external communications activities, initiatives and strategies. He leads, plans, negotiates and implements strategies related to transportation access and operations of rail and port logistics.
Mr. Montpetit has more than 25 years of marketing, sales management and logistics experience in the packaged goods and rail industry. He held the position of National Account Manager for Canadian Coal with Canadian National Railway, and owned Diadem Group Ltd., which included residential construction and consulting in areas of logistics, marketing and sales. Mr. Montpetit holds a B.Comm from the University of Guelph.
Richard Tremblay Vice President, Operations
Mr. Tremblay holds the position of Vice President, Operations where he is responsible for bringing the Vista Coal Project into operation. Mr. Tremblay will have overall responsibility for all health, safety and environmental matters as well as the operation effectiveness, production control and staff functions at Vista.
Mr. Tremblay has 22 years of diverse and extensive management experience in open pit coal mining and a proven track record of achieving operational targets. He held a number of Senior Management positions within Teck Coal such as: General Manager Fording River Operation, General Manager Line Creek Operation and most recently, held the position of General Manager, Business Improvement - Mining and Processing.
Mr. Tremblay holds a Masters of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University and is a professional engineer with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Queen's University.