Brightstar Resources has bolstered its operational and leadership capacity after appointing a series of mining experts to key executive roles, just as its Sandstone project escalates.
A Western Australian mining executive with over 30 years of operational experience, John Croall, has been appointed as Brightstar’s general manager of mining.
Croall will lead the company’s existing operations at the Fish and Second Fortune underground sites and will also head the drive for further expansion.
Daniel Jolley, serving as the new project director, will lead the execution of Brightstar’s Laverton processing plant’s engineering and construction.
Targeted for the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, Jolley brings over 20 years of experience with strong processing plant delivery expertise, with recent tenures at Northern Star / De Grey’s 10 million-tonne-per-annum Hemi gold project.
As Brightstar’s group health and safety manager, Julie Budrey brings over 25 years of safety leadership and former executive roles at Emeco and Westgold Resources.
Brightstar managing director Alex Rovira said that the company is delighted to welcome the new leadership team.
“Their extensive practical experience, deep knowledge of the Western Australian mining industry and proven leadership capability significantly enhance Brightstar’s operational depth and development capacity,” he said.
With this, the Sandstone pre-feasibility study is also advancing according to Brightstar, with GR Engineering Services continuing its processing infrastructure design and Independent Metallurgical Operations (IMO) continuing test works.
Both the company and Aurumin have a total of six drilling rigs operating in Sandstone, targeting mineral resource estimate (MRE) growth and infill drilling key deposits that Brightstar said would increase confidence classification.
Speaking on this development and the new leadership’s impact, Rovira said that the calibre of talented mining professionals who have joined Brightstar “reflects strong confidence” in the company’s quality of its assets.
“Also, the strength of our development strategy and the clear pathway we have established toward achieving our goal of becoming a 200,000-plus-ounce-per-annum gold producer,” he said.
“The development of our Menzies, Laverton, and Sandstone gold projects will be central to delivering on this vision and positioning Brightstar as an engineering mid-tier Australian gold producer.
“We are building on the foundations of a sustainable, multi-asset mining company with a strong culture of disciplined operational focus, and a commitment to creating enduring value for our shareholders, employees and stakeholders.”
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