Peak Minerals has an experienced management team and board of directors and employs seasoned engineering firms, advisors, and consultants.
Senior Management
Dean Pekeski
Chief Executive Officer and Board Member
Dean Pekeski has over 20 years of experience in mineral exploration and project development. From 1996 to 2008, Mr. Pekeski was an exploration geologist and project manager with Rio Tinto Exploration where he explored for base metal and diamond deposits across Canada, Southern Africa, and India. He led the Rio Tinto exploration team that discovered and evaluated the diamondiferous Bunder kimberlites. After leaving Rio, Mr. Pekeski joined Western Potash Corporation where, as Executive Vice President, he successfully managed the Milestone Potash Project in Saskatchewan from discovery, through pre-feasibility, feasibility, environmental permitting, and project financing.
Mr. Pekeski holds a degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Western Ontario. He is a registered Professional Geologist and a Qualified Person in the field of potash geology as defined by NI 43-101 Standards, and is also an active member of the Solution Mining Research Institute.
Blake Measom
Chief Financial Officer and Board Member
Blake Measom has over 25 years of experience in mining and minerals finance. Prior to joining the company, he served as Chief Financial Officer for Barrick Gold of North America. At Barrick, he directed the accounting, finance, tax, compliance, IT, and supply chain functions for all North American operations.
Prior to joining Barrick, Mr. Measom served as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Kennecott Energy Company, a subsidiary of the Rio Tinto Group.
Mr. Measom began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P. He has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Accountancy from Brigham Young University.
Woods Silleroy
Vice President Operations and Corporate Secretary
Woods Silleroy has over 30 years of resource experience as an investor in the oil & gas and mining industries, as well as over three decades of experience in operations.
Prior to joining Peak Minerals, Mr. Silleroy was Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Justice Design Group. Currently, he serves as a board member and managing director of Horn Silver Mines, Inc.
Mr. Silleroy has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Utah (Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and a Masters degree from the University of Southern California.
Luke Jarvis
Vice President Sales and Marketing
Luke Jarvis has over 30 years of experience in senior roles in the potash industry. Prior to joining the company, he worked with Salt Lake Potash, Helm Chemicals, Nutrien Inc., and Sirius Minerals, now a division of Anglo American. Additionally, he has worked as a consultant for BHP, ICL, Circum Minerals, and Highfield Resources.
As a specialist in market strategy, Mr. Jarvis has led efforts to secure bankable off-take agreements, strategic partners, and structured finance for new entrants in the resource sector. Mr. Jarvis also serves as a Board Director for CleanTech Lithium, a Lithium project in Chile.
Mr. Jarvis holds a Diploma in Surveying & Architecture from York College, U.K. He also gained a Fertilizer Advisor Certificate from the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, UK, and Leadership in Business from Ashridge Business School, U.K.
John Andrews
Senior Advisor
John Andrews is the President and CEO of Greenwich Global Investment Advisers, a strategic consulting company serving a wide variety of businesses globally. Prior to that, for 30 years, he was President and CEO of ANSAC with a billion dollars in revenue and operations in over 50 countries.
Mr. Andrews has a Bachelor in Chemical Engineering from West Virginia University, Institute of Technology and was elected Tau Beta Pi. He has an MBA from California State College in Los Angeles.
Adam Sarman
Project Director - Construction
Adam Sarman is an accomplished professional with an extensive career spanning over 20 years in the planning, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of all project activities for large capital projects, both foreign and domestic. He has managed a wide portfolio of assignments encompassing an array of projects including tailings storage, plant upgrades, conveyors, refinery upgrades, power plants, renewable energy, transmission lines, fuel stations, heap leach, water treatment, reclamation, and closure projects.
Mr. Sarman’s career began in the construction industry and civil design where he gained valuable experience before joining Barrick Gold Corporation in 2009. At Barrick Gold, Mr. Sarman started in the environmental department and steadily advanced through various roles, ultimately achieving the position of Projects Evaluation Manager. In 2019, he joined Rio Tinto Kennecott, as a Principal Engineer. and subsequently took on the role of Projects and Engineering Manager-Minerals. With a strong track record of successful project execution and a diverse range of skills, Mr. Sarman brings his wealth of expertise and leadership to the Peak Minerals team.
Mr. Sarman has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno. He is a registered Professional Engineer, and a registered Project Management Professional.
Michael LeBaron
Permitting Manager
Michael LeBaron has close to twenty years of experience in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Permitting and Regulatory Compliance. Prior to joining Peak Minerals, Mr. LeBaron worked as an Engineering Manager II, Senior Principle Scientist II, Environmental Engineer at BAE Systems Inc. where he established a NEPA environmental analysis and compliance program for the U.S. Air Force to permit a ground-based strategic deterrent system designed to replace the Minute Man III ICBM. Prior to that, he worked in a number of environmental permitting positions including as Environmental Compliance and Permitting Manager for Energy Solutions.
Mr. LeBaron has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Utah, a Masters Certificate in NEPA from Utah State University, and an MBA and Masters of Science in Environmental Program Management from Webster University.
Board of Directors
Owen Hegarty
Non-Executive Chairman
Owen Hegarty has more than 40 years experience in the global mining industry including 25 years with the Rio Tinto group where he was Managing Director of Rio Tinto Asia and Rio Tinto’s Australian copper and gold business from 1989 to 1994.
Prior to that, Mr. Hegarty was the founder and Managing Director of Oxiana Limited where he led the growth of Oxiana from a junior explorer to an A$6 billion Asia Pacific base and precious metals producer. Mr. Hegarty was also Vice Chairman of ASX listed Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), one of the world’s largest iron ore companies, Executive Vice Chairman of Hong Kong listed resources companies, G Resources and Chairman of the Tigers Realm Minerals Group.
Mr. Hegarty is a Fellow and Former Director of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). He is also an advisor on mining and resources generally to a number of government and industry associations.
In 2019, Mr. Hegarty was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the AusIMM. The Honorary Fellowship recognises “exceptional achievement, service or contribution to the minerals sector” and is conferred on senior and influential professionals who have performed “notable, active and sustained service to the AusIMM or made a major contribution to the minerals sector.”
In 2021 Mr. Hegarty was awarded, as part of the Queens Birthday Honours list, the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his service to the mining and minerals sector.
Robert Bailey
Board Member
Rob Bailey has over 20 years of experience in investment banking roles focused on the metals & mining sector with organizations including Macquarie, Royal Bank of Canada and Nomura in both Australia and the United Kingdom.
Prior to EMR, Mr. Bailey was a Managing Director and Head of Natural Resources for Nomura Australia Limited based in Sydney. There, he led the team's coverage of the metals & mining and energy sectors, and was responsible for providing strategic M&A advice as well as arranging finance for various clients throughout the Asia Pacific region.
Mr. Bailey graduated with a combined Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) (Honours) and Bachelor of Law (Honours) from the University of Adelaide. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia.
Jason Chang
Board Member
Jason Chang has over 30 years’ experience in investment management and advisory with a focus on the resources and financial services sector. Prior to EMR, Mr. Chang was a partner of KPMG in Australia for over 13 years, based in Melbourne, where he was Partner in Charge of KPMG Australia’s Asia Practice and a member of KPMG Australia’s leadership team. In these roles, Mr. Chang was the head of KPMG Australia’s businesses across all service lines (transactions, mergers and acquisitions, advisory, tax and audit) for Australia and Asia inbound and outbound investments.
Mr. Chang was a Board Director of the Australia China Business Council (ACBC) (2008–2015) and President of the Victorian Branch of the Australia China Business Council (2008–2015). He is currently a member of the Advisory Council for Asialink Business.
Mr. Chang graduated with a Masters of Law, Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Economics (majoring in Accounting) from Monash University, Australia, and is admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia. He is a Fellow of the Financial Institute of Australia (FINSIA), a Member of the Hong Kong Securities Institute (HKSI) and the Responsible Officer for the EMR regulated entities. Jason completed his schooling in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.