Our Board of Directors consists of a council of experts in areas of artisanal and small-scale gold mining, economics, sustainable development, social responsibility, human and environmental health, and gold.

Hugh L. Stephens, MA – Chairman of the Board

Mr. Stephens has more than 35 years of government and business experience in the Asia-Pacific region. Based in Victoria, BC, Canada, he is currently Vice Chair of the Canadian Committee on Pacific Economic Cooperation (CANCPEC), Senior Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, Executive Fellow at the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, and an associate faculty member in the School of Business at Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC. Before returning to Canada in December 2009, he was Senior Vice President (Public Policy) for Asia-Pacific for Time Warner for almost a decade, located at the company’s regional headquarters in Hong Kong. In this capacity he managed Time Warner’s public policy program in Asia Pacific for Turner Broadcasting, HBO, Warner Bros, Time Inc. and AOL.

Mr. Stephens has been an active leader in a number of regional business organizations in Asia. He served on the Executive Committee of the Board of the US National Center for APEC and is a past Executive Committee Board member of the US-Korea Business Council. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the US-ASEAN Business Council, Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Vice Chair of the Quality Brands Protection Committee, a coalition of more than 180 multinational companies engaged in strengthening IPR protection in China.

In recent years, he has written and commented extensively on Canada’s engagement with the Asia Pacific region and has testified before the Foreign Affairs and International Trade committee of the Canadian Senate.

Prior to joining Time Warner in 2000, Mr. Stephens spent 30 years in the Canadian Foreign Service with the Department of External Affairs, later the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). His last Ottawa assignment was as Assistant Deputy Minister for Policy and Communications in DFAIT. He also served abroad as Canadian Representative in Taiwan (Head of Mission-Canadian Trade Office in Taipei), Counsellor and Charge d’affaires at the Canadian Embassies in Seoul, Korea and Islamabad, Pakistan, among a number other overseas and headquarters assignments, including service at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing and Mandarin language training in Hong Kong.

Mr. Stephens was educated at the University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Toronto and Duke University, and has a Certificate in Mandarin from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Nikki Macdonald, PhD

Dr. Nikki Macdonald has a distinguished career in public service and in the private sector, and has worked with leaders in industry, government, and academia. In 2018 she launched her own consulting practice focusing on strategic planning, policy and governance. Her recent clients include the Gordon Foundation, Council of Great Lakes, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and BC Health. She was previously the Executive Director of Government Relations for the University of Victoria, the Director of Federal Affairs for Schering Plough and served as a senior advisor to the Rt. Hon. Jean Chrétien when he was Prime Minister. Dr. Macdonald is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Victoria and continues to conduct research in the areas of governance, engagement and public policy. She is a Fellow of the Public Policy Forum. She sits on the Board of the Artisanal Gold Council and is Chair of the Mount Work Coalition.

John R. Morgan

 John R Morgan is a retired mining executive with over 40 years of experience including managing both domestic and international mining operations and companies. His experience includes direction of public and privately owned organizations as well as an internationally owned joint venture. In mine operations he has successfully increased profitability through raising production levels and product quality, while reducing unit costs and also improving both safety performance and environmental compliance.

Mr. Morgan was President of Atlantic Gold Corporation until July of 2016 and was instrumental in the acquisition of the Moose River Consolidated assets in Nova Scotia. He was involved in the preparation of feasibility studies, financing through both debt and equity raises and the placement of a C$ 87 million fixed price EPC contract for the construction of the gold project prior to his retirement in July of 2016. The project was completed on time and on budget and was opened in the fall of 2017. Atlantic Gold Corporation announced in May of 2019 that it was being acquired by St. Barbra Ltd., an Australian company, for an implied enterprise value of C$ 802 million.

During his career, Mr. Morgan has worked in the gold and coal sectors including four years in western Venezuela operating Paso Diablo, a seven million tonne per year export coal operation. The project was a joint venture owned at that time by the national oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, Anglo American and RAG from Germany.

In 2011 Mr. Morgan was a member of the Special Committee of the Board which recommended the acceptance of an offer by Winsway Coking Coal Holdings Ltd. and Marubeni Corp. to acquire Grand Cache Coal Corp for approximately C$1 billion, representing a 70 percent premium over the pre-announcement share price.

Mr. Morgan also has experience in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Brazil and several other countries in Central and South America in exploration, site evaluations and mine development.

Following graduation with a B.Sc. in Geology from the University of British Columbia his early career was spent with Manalta Coal Ltd. which was part of the Mannix group of companies. Ultimately he was responsible for the operation of seven coal operations in Western Canada producing over 26 million tonnes per year. The company was sold in 1997 as an income trust generating C$ 870 million for the shareholders.

Dr. Paul Schure, PhD

Paul Schure is a Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Victoria where he has been since 2000. He spent a year as a Postdoc student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1999-2000) and four months as a consultant at the European Investment Bank in 1998. He has held visiting positions at the Robert Schuman Centre of the European Investment Institute (2002 and 2005), the University of Bonn (2003), Utrecht University (2008), and the University of Amsterdam (2009). Dr. Schure’s research is on Financial Intermediation, Industrial Organization, and European Integration. His work has appeared in various international Economics and Finance journals. He has been Secretary/ Treasurer of the European Community Studies Association- Canada (ECSA-C) since 2004. He was co-organizer of of the ECSA-C biennial conferences of 2008 and 2010 and organizer of the 2010 Financial Institutions Summer School, that was held at the University of Victoria. He was guest co-editor of the 2008 special issue of the Canadian Journal of Agriculture Economics.

Dr. Schure has been a board member of the Artisanal Gold Council since 2010.

Dr. Katherina Tarnai-Lokhorst, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon), BASc, MBA, DSocSci

Katherina’s influence as a role model for women in engineering and physical sciences crosses disciplines and international boundaries. An award-winning educator in mechanical engineering, Katherina has connected with scholars and industry representatives across Europe, Australia, Asia and the Americas, demonstrating by example her mode of authentic inclusion. A strong advocate for fairness and instilling a sense of belonging, Katherina teaches engineering, project management and social responsibility courses for Camosun College and for the University of British Columbia, manages international projects as President of the Lokhorst Group Ventures and is a sought-after speaker on a wide range of project management, policy development and governance topics that focus on authenticity. Dedicated to creating an increasingly inclusive culture in engineering, Katherina applies her mastery of interdisciplinary studies by developing policies and delivering courses that instil learners at all levels and in all industry sectors with a deep understanding of the impact of technology on society and with a passion to make the world a better place for all.

Katherina is passionate about music and has participated in church choirs, rock bands and choral ensembles since the age of four. A natural alto, Katherina has been known to venture into mezzo soprano on occasion and take roles onstage in musical theatre. Her current endeavours include singing and playing piano with Christian Rocks, at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Victoria, and performing with her jazz trio, Kadabra. Katherina is currently appointed to two Advisory Councils, is Board Chair of BC Association for Living Mindfully and Business Appointee of the Degree Quality Assessment Board. Katherina is honoured to be appointed to the Board of the Artisanal Gold Council.