Board of Directors

Mr. Aftergut is a controlling shareholder of Aftergut N. & Zonen b.v.b.a. in Antwerp, Belgium, a company which was started by his father in 1956 and has grown into one of the largest family-operated rough diamond trading companies in the industry, with group sales of over US$250M.  Maurice has been active in the diamond industry for over 40 years, having started to learn the trade in 1981 at the age of 18 years, working alongside his father trading in rough and polished diamonds.  He eventually rose to the position of Managing Director of the company in 1995, expanding the business beyond that of diamond trading into investments in various diamond manufacturing, exploration and mining operations.  Aftergut’s group of companies have over 20 years of experience in operating in Angola, and are one of the principal buyers of diamond production from the Catoca mine.  Maurice holds a diploma as a Gemologist (polished diamonds) from the Diamond High Council – Institute of Gemology in Antwerp (1988), and is a member of the Antwerpsche Diamantkring (Antwerp Diamond Bourse), the world’s leading rough diamond bourse.  Mr. Aftergut is fluent in French, English, Hebrew, Flemish and Italian.

Dr. Bizzi holds a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Cape Town, South Africa and was with De Beers for 15 years, from 1985 to 2000, reaching the position of Technical Director for South America.  Following his time at De Beers, Dr. Bizzi held the position of Executive Director of the Brazilian Geological Survey from 2000 to 2003. From 2003 to 2005, Dr Bizzi held executive positions in TSX listed companies and consulted for the Brazilian Development Bank.  He then held the position of Regional Exploration Manager for BHP Billiton from 2005 to 2009, where he was responsible for mineral exploration in South America.  Since 2011, Luiz has held the position of Chief Executive Officer of Rio Grande Mineração S.A., which is developing heavy mineral deposits in southern Brazil and northern Uruguay. Since 2019, Luiz has been the controlling shareholder and held the position of Chairman of SOPEMI in Angola, which is now a subsidiary of Lipari. Dr. Bizzi is fluent in both Portuguese (native) and English.

Mr. Zimnisky is a globally recognized independent diamond industry analyst and consultant based in the New York City metro area specializing in diamond supply and demand fundamentals and the companies operating within the industry. His research and analysis on the diamond industry is used by leading financial institutions, management consulting firms, private and public corporations, governments, intergovernmental organizations and universities. Paul has been in his current role operating as Paul Zimnisky Diamond Analytics since 2014, prior to which he was CEO of an exchange-traded fund company he conceptualized and co-founded called Pure Funds (2011-2014). Paul has also been a high-frequency trader for a company he co-founded called TBZ Capital (2011-2012) and a proprietary trader for Cohen Capital Group (2008-2011), a market making firm. Paul started his career with Kellogg Group, a large family office, where he held roles including buy-side equity analyst and equity option trader from 2003 to 2008. Paul is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business with a B.Sc. in finance. He is a CFA charterholder and is a member of the CFA Society of New York.

Mr. Woodhead, a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, received a Bachelor of Commerce and Graduate Diploma in Accounting in 1987 from the University of Cape Town. Mr. Woodhead has over thirty years of executive experience in the mining industry, and is familiar with financial reporting in Canada for public companies, operating and capital budgets, and reviewing financial and operating results. He started his career in the mining industry as Financial Manager at Trans Hex Group Limited, a South African diamond producer. Mr. Woodhead relocated from South Africa to Canada as Chief Financial Officer of Trans Hex International, which was listed on the TSX.  Following his time with the Trans Hex Group, Mr. Woodhead has held the position of Chief Financial Officer at a number public and private resource companies, starting with Desert Sun Mining Corp., a TSX-listed gold producer which developed and operated the Jacobina gold mine in the State of Bahia, Brazil. Desert Sun was eventually acquired by Yamana Gold in 2006 and Mr. Woodhead played a key role in ensuring that the acquisition was completed efficiently. Mr. Woodhead has served as the chief financial officer of a number of private and public companies. Most recently, he was chief financial officer for Gratomic Inc. (TSXV), a company focused on graphite exploration and development in Namibia and Brazil. Prior to this, Mr. Woodhead served as chief financial officer of Trigon Metals Inc. and Crocodile Gold Corp., public companies that developed copper and gold mines in Namibia and Australia, respectively, and was director of Vaaldiam Mining Inc., a diamond producer in Brazil.  Mr. Woodhead is fluent in Afrikaans and English (native).

Mr. Almeida is President of Lipari’s subsidiary in Angola Tchitengo Mining.  Paulino holds a degree in Mining Engineering and a degree in Business Administration.  He has over 35 years of mining industry experience in Angola, where he has held senior positions with both private and public entities. Paulino started his career in 1982 as a mining technician for the National Department of Geology of Angola, and moved to the business sector in 1986 as a production supervisor for a dimensional stone mine.  In 1989 he was appointed as the Managing Director of the Technical Cabinet for Mining Development under the Ministry of Industry of Angola where he was responsible for promoting investment in the mining sector.  In 1991, he was appointed to the position of Manager of the Planning Department in the Ministry of Geology and Mines, where he remained until 1995 when he assumed the position of General Manager and Managing Director of ENDIAMA, Angola’s state-owned diamond mining company.   In 1999, Paulino started his own civil construction company called Almeida & Associados Lda, which he operated until 2005.  During this period (2002 to 2004), he also consulted to De Beers in Angola, assisting with their negotiations with Angolan authorities.  In 2005, he was appointed to the position of Country Manager of BHP Billiton’s Angolan subsidiary (2005 to 2009) during the time that they discovered the Tchegi kimberlites, which are now part of Lipari’s Tchitengo project. When BHP left Angola in 2009, Mr. Almedia assumed the role of Vice-President of ESCOM, BHP’s joint venture partner in Angola where he remained until 2013. Since August 1, 2024, he has held the position of Chairman of SOMIPA SARL, having previously served as the Executive Director (2013-2024). Mr. Almeida has also taken on Remuneration Committee positions with the Angolan Investment Bank (BAI) (2014 to 2020) and was the Chairman and Non-Executive Director of the Standard Chartered Bank of Angola (2020-2023). Mr. Almeida is fluent in both Portuguese (native) and English.

Mr. Ramsden is an experienced financial executive with 40 years of industry experience in both Canada and Africa. Previously Bruce held the position of Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. (2013 to 2017), a TSX and NASDAQ-listed company which owns a 49% interest in the Gahcho Kué diamond mine in Canada’s north.  He was also the Chief Financial Officer of Kennady Diamond Inc. (2013 to 2018), the exploration arm of Mountain Province Diamonds.  During his career in the mining industry, Bruce has been directly responsible for arranging over US$525 million of senior debt financings, including the US$370 million in senior financing acquired for the construction of the Gahcho Kué diamond mine. From 2010 to 2012, Bruce was VP Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Andean American Gold Corp, a company listed on the TSX-V, which was sold to Lupaca Gold Corp.  Prior to that, Bruce was Chief Financial Officer of Tiomin Resources Inc. a TSX-listed company (2005 to 2010), which had a mineral sands project in east Africa. While at Tiomin, Bruce was directly responsible for raising $120 million in debt financing, $35 million in subordinated debt financing, political risk insurance as well as a cost overrun facility for the project.  From 2002 to 2005, Bruce was VP Finance and Chief Financial Officer of St Andrew Goldfields Ltd, a company listed on the TSX. From 1996 to 2001 after emigrating from South Africa, Bruce was a Director and Chief Financial Officer of Vaaldiam Resources Ltd., a company listed on the TSX. Prior to that Bruce held various positions in South Africa from 1981 through to 1996.  More recently, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Roscan Gold Corporation (2021 to 2023), a TSXV listed company developing gold deposits in west Africa.  Bruce holds a B.Comm. degree from the University of South Africa and the Chartered Institute of Secretaries (C.I.S.) through the United Kingdom.  He was a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Canada and Financial Executives International.

Dr. Hermano de Villemor Amaral (neto) is a lawyer who has 43 years of experience working in Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Contracts, Administrative Law, Entertainment, Family Planning among other legal sectors. He is a senior partner at the law firm Villemor Amaral Advogados, a well-established law firm formed in 1909 and one of the oldest/longstanding law firms in Brazil, with offices in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. The grandson of the firm’s founding partner, Hermano has extensive legal experience advising national and international companies from the diverse industries and economic sectors. Hermano is a graduate of law from the University of State Rio de Janeiro and holds an M.A. in Comparative Jurisprudence from the New York University 1982/1983. After his graduation from New York University, he joined the offices of Reid & Pries (1983) and Seward & Kissel (1984) as a foreign associate. In 2002, he was appointed Honorary Vice-President of the Association of Young Lawyers, based in Brussels, Belgium, for the relevant work rendered for the Association. Recognized in 2020 and 2021 by the Análise Advocacia directory, being highlighted in the Food, Drinks and Tobacco sector and for his regional performance in São Paulo. Hermano is licenced by the Brazilian Bar Association Sections of Rio de Janeiro (since 1982) and São Paulo (since 1990); Board Member of the Centro de Estudos das Sociedades de Advogados (CESA) from 2010 to 2016 ; Member of the Integrity Committee/Board of the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) since 2018; Former Member Executive Committee of the International Association of Young Lawyers (1991 to 1994 and 1999 to 2002); Former National Vice-President of the International Association of Young Lawyers (1995 to 1999); Member of International Bar Association since 1984; and Member of the São Paulo Lawyers Association (AASP) since 1990. Dr. Villemor is fluent in both Portuguese (native) and English.

Martin worked in diamond exploration for over 35 years in the De Beers Group and was the Managing Director of De Beers Brazil.   After six years in Brazil, he was transferred to De Beers Canada as Exploration Manager and was responsible for the major diamond deposit evaluations of the Victor, Gahcho Kué and Fort A La Corne kimberlites.