Canadian mining company Iamgold Corporation announced on September 27, 2023 in Toronto, the appointment of Bruno Lemelin as Chief Operating Officer effective immediately. In this role, he will oversee all mining and development activities at Iamgold’s projects.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire management team, I would like to express our enthusiasm for Bruno’s promotion to Chief Operating Officer,” said Renaud Adams, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Bruno’s extensive experience in managing complex mining operations throughout his career, combined with his strong leadership skills, make him the ideal candidate to lead our operational efforts. With Côté Gold on track for production early next year, this company is well positioned to differentiate itself from its industry peers and become a leading high-margin gold producer,” continued Renaud Adams.
Bruno Lemelin is a well-known man in Burkina Faso. He joined Iamgold in 2014 as Essakane Mine Director. He was subsequently appointed General Manager of Essakane from 2016 to 2018 before joining Toronto in 2019 as Regional Vice President – Americas. Lemelin was subsequently appointed Senior Vice President – Operations and Projects in March 2020. Prior to Iamgold, he worked for SNC-Lavalin as Vice President, Sustainable Mining from 2011 to 2014. He worked for Xstrata (now Glencore) in Sudbury, Ontario, from 2001 to 2003. At the Raglan mine in Nunavik, Quebec, he was head of mining engineering and director of strategy, risk and communications from 2003 to 2011.
Academically, Bruno studied at Université Laval and holds two bachelor’s degrees, one in mining engineering and the other in business administration, as well as a master’s degree and a doctorate in mineral economics. He is a member of the Quebec Order of Engineers and the Professional Engineers of Ontario.
In Burkina Faso, Bruno Lemelin, as General Director of the Essakane mine, gave courses in mineral economics to masters students at the Fada N’Gourma National Engineering School (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Ingénieurs de Fada N’Gourma – ENSI-F). It was also under his leadership that Iamgold Essakane SA began awarding 2 scholarships for excellence in studies in Canada to the best high school graduates in Burkina Faso. One of these scholarships went to the top national BAC student in the scientific series, and the other to the top BAC student in the Sahel region, where the mine is located.
As a reminder, Iamgold is a Canadian company based in Toronto, Canada. It operates mines in North America and West Africa, where it operates the Essakane mine. It is also present in Senegal. The company is building the large-scale, long-life Côté Gold project in Canada in partnership with Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd, which is scheduled to begin production in early 2024. Iamgold has a strong portfolio of exploration projects. It employs around 3,300 people, including some 2,200 in Burkina Faso.
Elie KABORE
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