Leadership

Board of Directors

Director Chair of the Compensation Comittee

Robert Rasmus

Director

Kim Truter​

Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Truter was most recently the Chief Executive Officer of De Beers Canada from 2015 to 2019. During his tenure he led the successful completion and ramp-up to full production of the $1bn Gahcho Kué diamond project in Canada, as well as the value-adding acquisition of the former Peregrine Diamonds assets. He was also a member of the De Beers Group executive team, driving global business performance across operations, sales, and marketing.

Previously, Mr. Truter served as Chief Operating Officer of Rio Tinto Diamonds, managing their global portfolio in Australia, Canada and Zimbabwe. He also served as Managing Director of Argyle Diamond Mines Pty Limited in Australia and as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Diavik Diamond Mines Inc in Canada.

Mr. Truter brings over 30 years of mining experience in both surface and underground operations and large-scale project development across multiple geographies. He has substantial diamond experience, providing executive global leadership in Canada, Australia and Africa; often in complex, remote and challenging operating environments. He has worked extensively with communities and governments to ensure that local benefits are sustainably established. His proven leadership capabilities include a very strong dedication to safety, productivity and financial performance improvement.

Brad Baylis

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Baylis has broad experience in corporate and operational finance, including more than 20 years of leadership and resource development, having most recently served as Chief Financial Officer for Air Tindi, a regional airline based in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Prior to this, Mr. Baylis held the role of Chief Financial Officer at De Beers Canada as well as Riversdale Resources, which followed almost 20 years at Shell Canada where he held numerous senior financial roles. Mr. Baylis has a proven track record in building world class finance teams within complex business environments with a focus on maximising shareholder value.

Mike Sluggett

Interim General Manager

Mike Sluggett ensures the safe and efficient operations at Ekati Diamond Mine as the Interim General Manager. He sets short- and long-term plans to deliver results and oversees the day-to-day mining operations, including processing, surface and underground mining, fixed plant and mobile maintenance. 

Mr. Sluggett has 26 years of mining and management experience at Ekati, with more than 17 years of experience at Ekati Mine in the maintenance department. He has served as Manager and Co-Chair of the Occupational Health and Safety Committee for 10 years. Prior to his appointment on October 18, 2023, as Interim General Manager, Mr. Sluggett held various leadership roles, most recently as Superintendent and Senior Maintenance Manager.

Eric Ingle

Vice-President Corporate Development

Mr. Ingle has over 30 years of progressive experience primarily in energy and mining oriented organizations. A results-oriented people leader with a unique track record in human resources, strategy, sales, operations, commercial, scale capital projects, and business transformation.

Previous executive and consultative engagements include De Beers Canada, Suncor Energy, Anglo American, Peregrine Diamonds, Cenovus Energy, Husky Energy, Petro-Canada, and LNG Canada.

Mr. Ingle is an adept leader in navigating workplace organizational change having supported numerous mergers, acquisitions, strategic reorganizations, and multi-billion dollar construction projects through to commissioning.

Eric Ingle

Vice-President Corporate Development

Mr. Ingle has over 30 years of progressive experience primarily in energy and mining oriented organizations. A results-oriented people leader with a unique track record in human resources, strategy, sales, operations, commercial, scale capital projects, and business transformation.

Previous executive and consultative engagements include De Beers Canada, Suncor Energy, Anglo American, Peregrine Diamonds, Cenovus Energy, Husky Energy, Petro-Canada, and LNG Canada.

Mr. Ingle is an adept leader in navigating workplace organizational change having supported numerous mergers, acquisitions, strategic reorganizations, and multi-billion dollar construction projects through to commissioning.

Jeremy Taylor

Vice-President Technical

Mr. Taylor is a mining engineer with 40 years international mining experience, of which 25 years have been in the diamond industry. He has worked for several diamond mining companies including Gem Diamonds, Rio Tinto Diamonds, De Beers Consolidated Mines and Debswana Diamond Mining Company. Prior to joining Burgundy, he was the Chief Operating Officer at Letseng Diamonds.

Mr. Taylor is experienced in the underground, open-pit and corporate mining environments, having worked in operations and projects in Lesotho, Botswana, South Africa, Australia, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Canada and Indonesia. Mr. Taylor graduated for the Royal School of Mines, University of London and is a Fellow of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and a Member of Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Michael O'Keeffe

Executive Chairman

Mr. O’Keeffe is well known within the resources industry world-wide. He is currently the Executive Chairman of Champion Iron Limited (ASX: CIA), an iron ore mining company with operations located in Canada and previously was the Executive Chairman of Riversdale Mining Limited, a coal exploration and development company with projects in the United States and Canada prior to that Company being acquired by Rio Tinto plc in April 2011. 

Mr O’Keeffe was also the Managing Director of Glencore Australia Limited from 1995 to 2004, a company involved in a range of commodities with projects located across Australia. Mr O’Keeffe brings a wealth of experience to Burgundy Diamond Mines Limited as it pursues a new direction within the resources sector. 

Marc Dorion

Non-Executive Chairman

Mr. Dorion is a partner in the Business Law Group of prominent Canadian law firm McCarthy Tétrault, based in Montreal, where he supervises the natural resources group in Québec.

He received his LLL from the Université de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada then did post graduate studies in corporate taxation at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. His practice focuses on development, financing, construction and operation of major projects in the natural resources, energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors. He received the titles of Advocate Emeritus from the Quebec Bar and also of Queen’s Counsel.