Company

Sio is positioned to become a global leader in the supply of environmentally and ethically produced silica.

 

Sio Silica is committed to the highest standards and practices of corporate governance.

Our team is dedicated to our success by offering superior products and practicing sustainable development that respects the people, community, and environment.

 

Our team

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Feisal Somji, B.Sc., MBA

President & Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Somji has 20+ years of experience ranging from grassroots exploration to mine development.
Mr. Somji started his career managing an exploration and mine development services company with over 300 employees and divisions including diamond drilling, ground and airborne geophysics, geological consulting, geochemical analysis and laboratory services. He has acted as an officer and director of several public companies involved in silica sand, gold, diamond, silver, copper and base metal assets in North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Most recently Mr. Somji was the founder, President and CEO of Rio Alto Mining Ltd, with it’s La Arena gold/copper mine in Peru, having achieved commercial production in 2011 and currently produces over 100,000 oz/yr. Mr. Somji grew Rio Alto from inception in 2009 to be acquired by Tahoe Resources in 2015 for approximately $1.3 Billion. Mr. Somji also provides expertise in areas of corporate finance and governance where he has raised over $135 million and helped several projects go public. Mr. Somji has a B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia, an MBA from Queens University and a Commercial Pilots License.
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Todd Hirtle, CPA, CA

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Hirtle brings over 25 years of experience from various accounting and finance roles, serving 10+ years as Chief Financial Officer in both privately held and publicly listed companies. 
Prior to joining Sio Silica, Mr. Hirtle held the position of Chief Financial Officer for Black Crane Energy Corp., a private start-up oil and gas company, and Rock Energy Inc., a TSX publicly listed oil and gas company.  In addition, he has worked directly with US publicly listed companies on both the NASDAQ and NYSE.  Mr. Hirtle also currently serves as an independent director of Alliance Trust Company, a privately owned corporate trust and stock services provider.  Mr. Hirtle has a strong track record of financial leadership and experience working with capital and debt markets, investor relations, and corporate governance. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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Brent Bullen, B.Comm, MBA

Chief Operator Officer and Director

Brent Bullen has over 30 years of senior executive experience in both North American and International Energy Service Sectors.
Mr. Bullen established Canadian Fracmaster in Qatar and was an Integral part of Canadian Fracmaster’s growth in Russia personally involved in negotiating 4 of the 5 Russian Joint Ventures with an estimated market value of over $750 million Canadian. Mr. Bullen was President of the Valens Group of Companies an International group of companies providing over $300 million in value for well services, remediation and stimulation services in Central Siberia, and associated construction of infrastructure projects from pipelines, refineries, hotel business centers, schools, apartments and worker housing in areas included Central Siberia, Poland, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Mr. Bullen was a co-founder and Board member of Neutrino Resources Inc. A TSX listed company sold for $83 million five years after inception, a co-founder of Dynafrac Well Services restructured into Calfrac Well services, and co-founder of Neutrino Energy Services Ltd. Mr. Bullen holds a B.Com from Calgary Haskayne School of Business and an MBA from Queen’s University.
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Laura Weeden, B.Sc, P.Eng

VP Operations

Ms. Weeden is a Professional Engineer with a Civil Engineering Degree from Dalhousie University.
Prior experience includes technical and leadership roles at Baker Hughes, Schlumberger and Pomerleau with expertise in drilling, project management, design and construction. She has been recognized for her success having been awarded the 2020 International Society of Petroleum Engineers – Young Member Outstanding Service award, the 2018 Young Women in Energy award, and an Oilweek 2016 Rising Star. She holds several leadership roles through her involvement as the Chair of the Canadian Energy and Climate Nexus, and Past Chair of the Society of Petroleum Engineers – Calgary Section.
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Thomas Buchanan

Chairman

Tom has over 30 years of senior executive experience in the North American Energy sector.
Tom was Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Provident Energy Trust from 2001-2010 (a successor company to Founders Energy that he co-founded in 1993). He led a successful growth strategy that saw Provident grow to a $4.5 billion diversified energy company with significant investments in Canada and the United States in upstream oil and gas, natural gas liquids fractionation, storage, transportation and marketing. Provident was acquired by Pembina Pipeline Corporation in 2012. Tom has extensive board experience having served as a Director of Pembina Pipeline Corporation, Athabasca Oil Corporation, Emera Inc. and Spyglass Resources Ltd.
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Michael Pyle, MBA, ICD.D

Director


Mr. Pyle is a well-known businessman and entrepreneur in Manitoba and will also be joining the Company’s Audit Committee as Chair.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Economics), and an MBA (Finance) from the University of Manitoba and is a member of the ICD, receiving the ICD.D designation in 2017. Michael is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Toronto listed, Exchange Income Corporation, a $2+ Billion diversified, acquisition-oriented dividend company focused on opportunities in Aviation Services & Aerospace, and Manufacturing. He has previously served in positions of increasing seniority culminating as President of The Arctic Glacier Income Fund (and its predecessor, The Arctic Group Inc.). He previously worked with Roynat Capital in Winnipeg and was the Vice-President of Corporate Development for Westsun International Inc.
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Robert Stan

Director

Robert (Bob) Stan has over 34 years’ experience in the mining industry. He held several senior positions
with Fording Coal, Westar Mining and Teck Corporation before becoming a founding shareholder and director of Grande Cache Coal in 2000, where he served as President, CEO and Director until 2012, when the company was sold for US$1 billion. He has served as Chairman of the Coal Association of Canada and a board member of the International Energy Agency’s Coal Industry Advisory Board. Bob currently serves on the board of several private companies as well as publicly traded Anglo Pacific Group, which focuses on royalties connected with the mining of natural resources.
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Daniel KenneyCorporate SecretaryPartner of DLA Piper Canada

Daniel Kenney

Corporate Secretary

Partner of DLA Piper Canada

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Carolyn Moore-Robin

Director

Ms Moore-Robin has over 35 years of experience with an expertise in providing guidance in areas
of strategic planning, governance, communications, stakeholder engagement, and Indigenous relations, working on diverse projects for various clients. Carolyn also has an increased focus on sustainability initiatives and ESG reporting that delivers transparency and builds resilient organizations. As a business owner, she works with government, the private sector, Not-for-Profit organizations, and has both national and international experience. She is a respected businesswoman who is well connected, maintaining a strong professional network.
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David Filmon, K.C.

Director

Mr. Filmon recently served as Chair and Executive Board Member at the law firm of MLT Aikins LLP,
one of Western Canada’s largest law firms and the fifteenth largest in Canada. He continues to practice at MTL Aikins LLP, where has been a Partner since 1998. He practices in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities law with an emphasis on advising public company boards and corporate governance. Mr. Filmon is nationally recognized for his contributions to the legal and business communities and has extensive board experience. He was recognized in Best lawyers in Canada 2022 for Securities and Mergers and Acquisitions. In 2019 and 2020 he was recognized in Lexpert/ROB Special Edition as on of Canada’s leading lawyers in Infrastructure. He was the City of Winnipeg’s nominee to the Board of CentrePort Canada, where he acted as Chair and serves on a number of private company boards. Mr. Filmon is a member of the Manitoba Bar and received an LLB from Osgoode Hall, York University in Toronto. He also holds a B.Comm. (Hons.) Degree from the University of Manitoba, I.H. Asper School of Business. David will play an integral role in Sio Silica’s development of a Silica and Silicon industry in Manitoba.
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Our values

Our values reflect our purpose, priorities and beliefs by which we conduct ourselves. They serve as the foundation of our sustainability management system along with our corporate policies.

 

People

Our people are our greatest asset and ensuring a safe and inclusive work environment for all our employees is critical. Our workforce development initiatives aim to empower employees with the necessary skills and knowledge, fostering personal growth and contributing to the overall development of the communities we serve.

Sustainability

We are strongly committed to environmental management and protection, reducing our impact on the planet while contributing to a more sustainable future.

Innovation

We embrace creativity and continuously seek innovative solutions to drive growth, improve processes and efficiency and provide environmentally responsible products.

Integrity

We operate with honesty and high ethical standards at all times, earning the trust of our stakeholders through transparency and accountability.

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