Our Leaders |
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The Board
Bill Xue
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
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Bill XueCHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDMr. Bill Xue joined the board of Western Potash Corp. in September 2015, and following the completion of a Plan of Arrangement in April 2017, Mr. Xue's directorship was transferred to Western Resources Corp. Mr.Xue was elected as Chairman of the Board in March 2020. Mr. Xue brings 20 years experience in project & investment management from both the private and public sectors, specializing in finance, mining, the oil and gas, and power generation fields. He has played a leading role in several significant M&A transactions involving publically listed companies. Previous roles include that of Deputy Chief Engineer, Shanxi Economic Development Investment Company, Executive Deputy General Manager, Shanxi Top Energy Company Ltd., Managing Partner, Shanxi Baijie Law Firm, President and General Manager, Shanxi Financial Leasing Co., Ltd., Vice President of Strategy & Investment, Shanxi International Electricity Group Limited Company and Managing Director and Investment Review Board director of Chinastone Capital Management Limited. Mr. Xue currently maintains his role as President and Director of the Investment Review Board of Beijing Tairui Innovation Capital Management Co. Ltd., Western’s largest shareholder. Mr. Xue is now President and CEO of Western Resources Corp., the parent company of Western Potash Corp. Mr. Xue earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Beijing Jiaotong University and was certified as a lawyer in 1999.
George Gao
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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George GaoEXECUTIVE DIRECTORGeorge Gao was appointed as Director of Western Resources Corp. in March 2021. He was also appointed as Chair of the Corporate Disclosure Policy Committee and Member of the Executive Committee. Mr. Gao is currently Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance of Western Resources Corp. Prior to this, Mr. Gao served as Chief Administrative Officer and CFO of Western Resources Corp., and CEOt of Western Potash Corp. Before Joining the Company, Mr. Gao was President of the Beijing Mining Exchange (“BMX”) and was responsible for its overall strategy and operations. Mr. Gao has also worked as the Head of Business Development, Asia for the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) before moving onto becoming the Chief Representative out of the TSX Beijing office. His time with the TSX and BMX brought him years of experience in leadership, business development, and strategic decision making. His depth of experience and skill set will greatly help the Company moving forward. Mr. Gao obtained his MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University. 
Mark Fracchia
DIRECTOR
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Mark FracchiaDIRECTORMr. Mark Fracchia joined Western Resources (“Western”) board in March 2022. He is appointed as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee. He is currently also an independent director at both March Consulting Associates Inc., and STC Industrial Contracting. Mr. Fracchia brings over 30 years of management, executive and director experience to Western. He is well connected in the potash world and has a track record of accomplishments in leadership, strategy, vision and, in particular, innovative potash mining technology. His extensive experiences include having served as Technical Superintendent, General Manager at various Potash sites, VP of Safety, Health, Environmental & Security, and culminating as President all at PotashCorp. (now Nutrien). Mr. Fracchia graduated from the University of Saskatchewan majoring in Chemical Engineering with a Bachelor of Science degree. He is a registered Professional Engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan.
Guy Bentinck
Director
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Guy BentinckDirectorMr. Guy Bentinck joined the Board of Western Resources Corp. in March 2020. He is also Chair of the Company’s Audit Committee. Mr. Bentinck is a seasoned executive with a record of accomplishments in leadership, strategy, value accretion, operations, capital markets, mergers & acquisitions, capital projects and sustainable business improvement. He is well connected in mining and financing sectors, particularly in potash industry. His extensive experiences include having served as Senior VP and CFO of Fairfax Africa, President and CEO of Potash Ridge Corporation, and Senior VP Finance, CFO and SVP Capital Projects of Sherritt International Corporation. Mr. Bentinck has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Aberdeen, UK, and holds qualifications of Chartered Accountant / CPA in both Canada and Scotland.
Andrew Hancharyk
DIRECTOR
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Andrew HancharykDIRECTORAndrew joined the board of Western Resources Corp. in March 2021, serving also in the Company’s Audit Committee in his capacity as an independent director. He is currently an independent director of Discovery Harbour Resources Corp., and a consultant with focus in legal, finance and investment services. Andrew was Director of Corporate Services for The County of the Corporation of Prince Edward, Picton, ON (Oct 2018 to Sep 2019); Chief Legal Officer of Largo Resources Ltd., (May 2013 to Jul 2015); Senior Legal Counsel and Consultant for CHC Helicopter Group, (Oct 2010 to Nov 2012); National Policy Manager of TMX Group - TSX Venture Exchange, Vancouver, BC (Nov 2007 to Feb 2010); General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of First Quantum Minerals Ltd., Vancouver, BC (Sep 2005 to Sep 2007) and Associate Counsel of Sherritt International Corporation/Sherritt Power Corporation, Toronto, ON (Jul 1998 to Aug 2005). Andrew is a corporate and securities lawyer with a business degree, a JD/LL.B and a Master of Laws from the University of Ottawa.
Scott Nagel
DIRECTOR
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Scott NagelDIRECTORMr. Scott Nagel joined Western Resources (“Western”) board in March 2023. He is also appointed as Western’s Chair of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Nagel brings over 30 years of management and executive experience especially in the grain and fertilizer business to Western. He is well connected in the trading of grains, fertilizer and freight in the US and other major markets. He started in the grain business as early as 1988 when he joined Benson Quinn Co (“BQC”). With BQC purchased by ADM in 1997, Mr. Nagel transferred his role to ADM where he assumed the role of President, ADM Benson Quinn in 2008 until he retired in January 2023. Mr. Nagel graduated from the University of Minnesota majoring in Agricultural Economics. He also attended the Harvard Business School ADM CEO led executive development program.
The Management Team
Bill Xue
CEO & PRESIDENT
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Bill XueCEO & PRESIDENTMr. Bill Xue was appointed Managing Director of Western Potash Corporation in April 2021. Specializing in Finance, Mining, Oil and Gas, and Power Generation Fields, Mr. Xue brings over 20 years of private and public sector project management and investment to Western Potash. He played a leading role in several significant Merger and Acquisition transactions involving publicly listed companies. Previous roles include Deputy Chief Engineer, Shanxi Economic Development Investment Company; Executive Deputy General Manager, Shanxi Top Energy Company Ltd.; Managing Partner, Shanxi Baijie Law Firm; President and General Manager, Shanxi Financial Leasing Co., Ltd.; Vice President of Strategy & Investment, Shanxi International Electricity Group Limited Company; and Managing Director and Investment Review Board director of Chinastone Capital Management Limited. Most recently (in May 2022), Mr. Xue successfully pioneered and led the closing of two major financings for Western Potash Corporation and the Milestone Project, one with the UK-based Appian Capital for a total of $85 million debt loan, and the other with the Hongkong-based Vantage Chance Limited for a total of $80 million equity investment. Mr. Xue earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Beijing Jiaotong University and certified as a lawyer in 1999.
George Gao
CFO & SVP Corporate Finance
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George GaoCFO & SVP Corporate FinanceMr. Gao was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Western Potash Corporation in September 2021. Prior to this, Mr. Gao was Chief Administrative Officer and acting CFO of Western Resources Corporation, and Chief Executive Officer of Western Potash Corporation. Before joining Western Potash, Mr. Gao was President of the Beijing Mining Exchange (“BMX”) and responsible for the company’s overall strategy and operations. Mr. Gao has also worked as the Head of Business Development, Asia for the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) before moving onto becoming the Chief Representative out of the TSX Beijing office. His time with the TSX and BMX brought him years of experience in leadership, business development, and strategic decision making. His depth of experience and skill set will greatly help the Company moving forward. Mr. Gao obtained his Master’s of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University. 
Jerry Zhang
Chief Administrative Officer
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Jerry ZhangChief Administrative OfficerMr. Zhang was appointed Senior Vice President of Western Potash Corporation in April 2019. Mr. Zhang has worked with Western Potash Corporation since 2011. He has extensive experience in management administration, both in government organizations and private enterprises, and extensive working knowledge of the projects at Western Potash. Mr. Zhang is also bilingual in Chinese and English. Mr. Zhang holds a Master of International Communications from Macquarie University, Australia, and a PhD in International Relations from the University of Melbourne. 
Simon Guo
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
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Simon GuoSENIOR PROJECT MANAGERMr. Guo was appointed Procurement Manager of Western Potash Corporation in 2021. In additional to procurement role, he was later appointed as Assistant to President in March 2023. Taking charge of equity and mortgages investments, Mr. Guo joined Western Resources Corporation in May 2017 where he served as Managing Director of its real estate division. Through his work as the real estate managing director, Mr. Guo lead and managed numerous critical real estate equity and mortgage investments. With Western Resources’ change of strategic focus to potash mining, Mr. Guo transferred to Western Potash to lead the company’s procurement and contracts. Mr. Guo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Event Management from University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, a Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Huddersfield, and a Master of Global Management from Royal Roads University of Canada. |
