Tony graduated with a BA in History (Hons) and then a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto. Thereafter, he practised law with a major law firm in Toronto for seven years. He immigrated to Australia in 1972 and founded and built Pancontinental Mining into a publicly listed major diversified mining house with interests in gold, base metals, coal, industrial minerals and uranium. He exited from the business in 1992 and became a Director of National Mutual Royal Bank for four years. Thereafter, Tony was appointed as Chairman of Kingsgate Consolidated, a producing gold mining company listed on the ASX. He held this role for four years. In 1992 Tony became a major shareholder and Executive Chairman of Polartechnics Ltd, an ASX listed biomedical company developing a revolutionary Australian invention of an optoelectronic means of diagnosing pre-cancer cells and cancer. Tony has written two books and numerous articles about the mining industry.

In February 2008, David Kovarsky joined IFL as Managing Director and became a member of the Board. David has extensive experience in the ferrochrome industry, both in operations and construction and has for many years been a valuable contributor to IFL. He has a close working relationship with IFL’s management team, having assisted in the company’s initial feasibility studies, construction and commissioning. Prior to this appointment, David was the CEO of South Africa’s largest submerged arc furnace supplier, Pyromet, which designed and constructed IFL’s two ferrochrome furnaces and its beneficiation plant. Before joining Pyromet, David was an executive director of JCI Limited with direct management responsibility for Consolidated Metallurgical Industries (CMI); at that time the world’s second largest ferrochrome producer.

Stephen, Founder of IFM, has over 20 years experience in financial markets and for the last 15 years has specialised in the natural resources sector. Stephen has delivered resource projects in Australia, Southern Africa, Fiji, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands. He was a founding director of the Australian subsidiary of PSG Investment Group, then South Africa’s sixth largest investment bank. He has an extensive network of business contacts and has raised equity capital in Australia, the UK, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the USA. Stephen is an Australian Chartered Accountant.

Prior to joining IFMLSA Ian Watson was Managing Director of Northam Platinum Limited. Over the past five years and since the unbundling of Gold Fields of South Africa, Ian successfully turned the newly independent Northam around from being a marginal platinum producer, close to closure, by adding more than 20 years to the mine's life. This came after having successfully led negotiations with Anglo Platinum and Mvelaphanda Holdings, one of South Africa's foremost black empowerment companies. Before this Ian held the position of Consulting Engineer at Gold Fields of South Africa, responsible for technical advice to the group's gold, platinum and base metal mines, including, Kloof, Driefontein, Northam and Black Mountain. Ian was Managing Director of Northam Platinum from 1998 to 2002. He also served as a Director of New Wits Limited from 1996 to 1998.

Mr Willsteed holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) Honours and is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and has, since 1973, been the principal of consulting mining engineers Terence Willsteed & Associates. His forty year career in the mining industry has included senior line operational and engineering positions with Zinc Corporation, Mt Isa Mines Ltd and Consolidated Goldfields Ltd. Other directorships include Diamond Rose NL since 2005, Kimberley Oil NL since 2002, Goldsearch Limited since 2004 and Climax Mining Limited since 1996.

In his consulting experience Mr Willsteed has been involved in the assessment and development of a wide range of mineral, coal and oil shale projects, and has participated in the management of developing and operating mineral projects both in Australia and internationally.

Ms Tian Xia received a Bachelor of Industrial Accounting degree in 1992 from the East China University of Metallurgy. In the same year she joined JISCO as an accountant. She became a Certified Public Accountant of China in 1996 and received an EMBA Degree in 2000 from Xi’an University of Science & Technology. She was appointed the Director of Financial Department of JISCO Group and was promoted to the Associate General Accountant in 2005.

Mr. Yang holds a masters degree from the Beijing University of Science & Technology. He joined Sinosteel Co as a Project Manager and became Branch General Manager in 1994. Mr. Yang moved to South Africa in 1998 and took the role of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ASA Metals (Pty) Ltd, a South African chrome mining and smelter business. Mr. Yang joined JISCO as Assistant President in July 2002. In his present role, Mr. Yang provides specialist knowledge of both the South African ferrochrome environment and the Chinese stainless steel market to potential investors and clients.

Stephen has some 30 years experience in the mining and metals industry of which some 12 years was spent in various operational management positions for the National Coal Board, Anglovaal Ltd, BPCoal and Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Co Ltd. Subsequently he has held senior positions in the investment banking industry for Smith New Court, Merrill Lynch , NM Rothschild and Sons and Standard Bank, specialising in the metals and mining sector, where he advised on a number of transactions and equity capital fund raisings worldwide. He has a BSc Honours degree in Geology from the University of Southampton and an MBA from the University of the Witwatersrand Graduate School of Business. He is a non executive director of KazakhGold Group Ltd

Ronnie joined IFM in January 2003 from ASA Metals, where he was General Manager. During a successful tenure at ASA Metals, he commissioned the ferrochrome smelters from a green field project to full production and at the same time significantly increased productivity at ASA Metals’ Dilokong Chrome Mine. A metallurgical engineer with a Masters Degree in Business Leadership, Ronnie is adept at championing new projects. He has 18 years of ferrochrome experience, working at Consolidated Metallurgical Industries and Samancor smelters.