Technical Advisory Board

Gerry Rayner, P.Eng
Mr. Rayner is an independent technical consultant who has over 40 years of experience in the mining industry and has practiced his profession on every continent except Antarctica. The bulk of his time has been spent in Western North America including Mexico and Central America, in Australia and the South Pacific, including Indonesia and other parts of Asia, and in various South American countries. Mr. Rayner's primary areas of expertise lie in reconnaissance exploration and in the evaluation of mineral properties at the earlier stages of exploration and development. While with Kennecott, Mr. Rayner was also in charge of exploration in Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific where efforts during this period resulted in the discovery of several porphyry copper deposits including the Ok Tedi Mine.

David Hedderly-Smith, Ph.D., P.Geo.
Dr. Hedderly-Smith has over 35 years of varied experience in the minerals exploration industry. Since the early 1970s, he has been involved in Alaska's mining industry as a staff exploration geologist for both major mining companies and junior exploration companies, a state regulator (three years as the deputy director for minerals in Alaska's Department of Natural Resources in the early 1980s), a consultant, and a property owner.

Since leaving Alaska's government in 1984, he has worked throughout Alaska and the Western United States as a consultant to major and junior mining and energy companies, Alaskan native corporations, and governmental entities on base and precious metal, uranium, coal, tar sands and water projects.

He obtained his MS in geological sciences from the University of Washington in 1975 and his PhD in geology/geochemistry from the University of Utah in 1997. Dr. Hedderly-Smith's scientific interests focus on the understanding of generative processes involved in the formation of mineral deposits. He is also currently a director of Andover.

Dave Lajack, B.S. Central Michigan University
Mr. Lajack has worked as a consultant in the industry and has co-authored published papers on geology and geochemistry. Mr. Lajack has worked in lode mineral exploration since the early 1980s. In 1985, he founded a successful prospecting syndicate (Lajack and Associates) which still has active properties in Alaska. Mr. Lajack is a founding member and president of Royal Pretoria Gold Ltd., a private exploration company, incorporated in Alaska in August, 2000.

Stephen McGibbon, B. Sc.
Stephen McGibbon, Premier's Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, is a Professional Geologist with over 27 years of exploration, mine production and management experience. He graduated from Queen's University at Kingston, in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Sciences. Mr. McGibbon has established a very successful track record in gold exploration and development, being a senior member of the team at Goldcorp that discovered the "High Grade Zone" at Red Lake. The High Grade Zone is world renowned as the world's highest grade gold deposit and one of the most important gold discoveries made in the last 20 years. In his capacity as Chief Geologist and Exploration Manager, Stephen lead the talented team of geologists that helped transform the marginal, high-cost operation into an unparalleled mining success. He is a disciplined geologist and team-builder that helped foster a spirit of innovation at Premier Gold.