Can Moranda Metals strike gold with its leadership’s South American know-how?

Moranda Metals, a new Vancouver-based private mining shell company, is poised to leverage its leadership team's extensive experience in South American mining to capitalize on mineral resource projects in the region.

Founded by Christopher Kololian and Matthew Rowlinson, both former senior executives at Glencore and Lundin Gold, the company plans to invest approximately US$15bn in base and precious metals opportunities across the Americas. 

“Our capital partners are overwhelmingly supportive of the opportunity to deploy their vast balance sheets behind a team that shares their ambitions and values. We are excited to partner with asset owners to build Moranda Metals into a next-generation mining company,” Christopher Kololian, co-founder and CEO, said in a statement.

Until August last year, Kololian was CFO of Lundin Gold, a company that owns the Fruta del Norte gold mine in southeastern Ecuador.

Matthew Rowlinson, co-founder and non-executive chairman of Moranda Metals, also serves as CEO of Solaris Resources, a company with a portfolio that includes the Warintza gold project in Ecuador and the copper initiatives Tamarugo in Chile and La Verde in Mexico. 

Another key member of Moranda's leadership team is director Mijael C. Thiele, a renowned Chilean mining professional who has participated in operations at Antofagasta Minerals' Esperanza mine and Anglo American's Los Bronces operation. 

Thiele has also been involved with the boards of Minera Las Cenizas and NEXT Minerals and has worked as an engineer with companies such as Compañía Minera Doña Inés de Collahuasi and Minera Mantos de Oro, all of which have offices in capital Santiago.

Another director, Michael Cinnamond, remains CFO of B2Gold Corp, owner of the Gramalote gold project in Colombia. 

The launch of Moranda Metals coincides with high mineral prices and a noted "all-time high public market investor apathy towards the mining sector," as observed by Kololian. 

Given the substantial mineral reserves in the Americas, including gold, copper and silver, it is likely that a significant portion of Moranda's capital will be directed toward projects in this region.