Our Leaders

Mr. 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, gas, and power generation fields. He has played a leading role in several significant M&A transactions involving publicly listed companies, including Deputy Chief Engineer at Shanxi Economic Development Investment Company, Executive Deputy General Manager at Shanxi Top Energy Company Ltd., Managing Partner at Shanxi Baijie Law Firm, President and General Manager at Shanxi Financial Leasing Co., Ltd., Vice President of Strategy & Investment at Shanxi International Electricity Group Limited Company, and Managing Director and Investment Review Board Director at 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. 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.

MR. 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 grain and fertilizer businesses, 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 in 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.

Elmar Goldsmith joined Western Potash’s Technical Committee in May 2022.

Mr. Goldsmith is one of the world’s leading experts in potash solution mining. He is currently Vice President of Canatech Management Services. Mr. Goldsmith was Vice President of Technical Services for IMC Global Potash (the predecessor of Mosaic Company) where he was responsible for the company’s 6-Sigma initiatives for three major potash mines in Saskatchewan, and potash mines in each of Michigan, Utah and New Mexico. Mr. Goldsmith is the inventor and co-inventor on a variety of patents related to potash mining and refining and has published many technical papers. Mr. Goldsmith is widely respected and regarded as a pioneer of potash solution mining.

Mr. Goldsmith holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Regina and Certificate of Quality Assurance Management from the University of Manitoba.

Brandon Bartosh was appointed to the Technical Committee of Western Potash in May 2022. He is currently providing solution mining and operation related services to the Milestone Project in his capacity as Technical Adviser.

Mr. Bartosh brings over 15 years of selective solution mining and horizontal cavern development experience from the Moab, Utah Mine of Intrepid Potash where Mr. Bartosh served in progressive roles from Electrical Engineer to Process Engineer to Production Manager and then Plant Manager. In his role as Plant Manager, he led the Sylvite 9 Solution Mine development program which successfully completed multiple horizontal caverns. Mr. Bartosh’s publications include: “An Update to the History of Solution Mining at the Cane Creek Mine, MOAB, UTAH – 2006 to 2021” (SMRI Technical Conference Paper F2021 Galveston Conference, 19-22 September 2021.)

Mr. Bartosh holds a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering from the University of Utah and an Master's of Business Administration from Colorado Mesa University.