Aclara Appoints New Chief Operating Officer Based in the U.S.
Aclara Appoints New Chief Operating Officer Based in the
U.S.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESS Newswire / June 16, 2025 / Aclara Resources Inc. ("Aclara" or
the "Company") (TSX:ARA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Hugh Broadhurst as
Chief Operating Officer of Aclara, effective June 16, 2025. Hugh will be based in the United
States and will assume the technical leadership role across Aclara's upstream projects,
including the Carina Project and Penco Module, as well as its downstream U.S. initiatives in
rare earths separation, metals, and alloys. He will report directly to the Chief Executive
Officer.
Hugh brings over twenty years of leadership experience with multinational corporations
specializing in global operations, process development, project finance, capital project
implementations and building high performing teams. Prior to joining Aclara, he served as
General Manager of the Thacker Pass Project at Lithium Americas Corp., where he led
process development, operations readiness, and played a key role in securing financing
from the U.S. Department of Energy and other strategic investors. Hugh has a proven track
record of delivering value through innovation in both new and existing chemical processes,
particularly within the specialty chemicals sector. His experience spans several major
corporations, including Rohm & Haas (Dow Chemical), Syngenta, and Arysta LifeScience.
Hugh holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of KwaZulu-
Natal in Durban, South Africa, and a Master of Science in chemical engineering from
Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Aclara's CEO, Ramón Barua, commented:
"We are thrilled to announce Hugh Broadhurst as Aclara's new Chief Operating Officer,
reinforcing our dedication to assembling a world-class team to drive our mine-to-magnet
vertical integration strategy. Hugh's extensive experience in U.S. chemical, industrial, and
mining sectors, paired with his proven expertise in delivering large-scale projects, positions
him to lead the development and implementation of Aclara's downstream processing
capabilities in the United States, as well as ensuring a seamless integration with of our
mining projects in Brazil and Chile. Hugh's key role in the Thacker Pass Project securing
offtake agreements and investments from leading automakers such as General Motors,
along with obtaining significant U.S. government loans and grants, highlights the
exceptional experience and value he brings for Aclara's success. Guided by a deep
commitment to sustainability and leading ESG principles, Hugh's leadership supports
Aclara's vision to build a responsible and reliable rare earths supply chain that powers the
technologies transforming our world. "
Aclara's newly appointed Chief Operating Officer, Hugh Broadhurst, commented:
"I'm excited to join Aclara at this transformative moment in the Company's journey and to
help drive the evolution of the rare earth industry. The opportunity to support Aclara in
delivering an integrated, secure, sustainable, and geopolitically independent source of
heavy rare earths is one I am very passionate about. I look forward to working alongside a
talented team to advance Aclara's mine-to-magnet projects across the Americas, driving
innovation, excellence in execution, operational readiness, and long-term value for our
shareholders. "
Hugh will succeed Barry Murphy, Aclara's former Chief Operating Officer, who chose to
retire effective April 30, 2025. During his tenure, Barry made significant contributions to
Aclara's growth and innovation, including building a strong technical team, advancing the
Carina Project in Brazil from discovery to development, enhancing and optimizing our
Circular Mineral Harvesting technology, and initiating our vertical integration strategy. The
Company sincerely thanks Barry for his outstanding leadership and dedication, and wishes
him all the best.
About Aclara
Aclara Resources Inc. (TSX: ARA), a Toronto Stock Exchange listed company, is focused on
building a vertically integrated supply chain for rare earths alloys used in permanent
magnets. This strategy is supported by Aclara's development of rare earth mineral
resources hosted in ionic clay deposits, which contain high concentrations of the scarce
heavy rare earths, providing the Company with a long-term, reliable source of these critical
materials. The Company's rare earth mineral resource development projects include the
Carina Project in the State of Goiás, Brazil as its flagship project and the Penco Module in
the Biobío Region of Chile. Both projects feature Aclara's patented technology named
Circular Mineral Harvesting, which offers a sustainable and energy-efficient extraction
process for rare earths from ionic clay deposits. The Circular Mineral Harvesting process
has been designed to minimize the water consumption and overall environmental impact
through recycling and circular economy principles. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary,
Aclara Technologies Inc., the Company is further enhancing its product value by developing
a rare earths separation plant in the United States. This facility will process mixed rare earth
carbonates sourced from Aclara's mineral resource projects, separating them into pure
individual rare earth oxides. Additionally, Aclara through a joint venture with CAP S.A., is
advancing its alloy-making capabilities to convert these refined oxides into the alloys
needed for fabricating permanent magnets. This joint venture leverages CAP's extensive
expertise in metal refining and special ferro-alloyed steels. Beyond the Carina Project and
the Penco Module, Aclara is committed to expanding its mineral resource portfolio by
exploring greenfield opportunities and further developing projects within its existing
concessions in Brazil, Chile, and other jurisdictions, aiming to increase future production
of heavy rare earths.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable
securities legislation, which reflects the Company's current expectations regarding future
events, including statements with regard to, among other things, Hugh's track record as a
driver for the successful implementation of Aclara´s mine-to-magnet strategy; and Hugh´s
experience with respect to securing offtake agreements with leading automakers and
obtaining significant U.S. government loans and grants for Aclara. Forward-looking
information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and
uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to risks related to operating in a foreign
jurisdiction, including political and economic risks in Chile, Brazil and the United States;
risks related to changes to mining laws and regulations and the termination or non-renewal
of mining rights by governmental authorities; risks related to failure to comply with the law
or obtain necessary permits and licenses or renew them; cost of compliance with
applicable environmental regulations; actual production, capital and operating costs may
be different than those anticipated; the Company may be not able to successfully
complete the development, construction and start-up of mines and new development
projects, the separation plant in the United States and its metals and alloys project with
CAP; risks related to fluctuation in commodity prices; risks related to mining operations;
and dependence on the Penco Module and/or the Carina Project. Aclara cautions that the
foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. For a detailed discussion of the foregoing factors,
among others, please refer to the risk factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the
Company's annual information form dated as of March 22, 2024, filed on the Company's
SEDAR+ profile. Actual results and timing could differ materially from those projected
herein. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the forward-looking
information contained in this press release is provided as of the date of this press release
and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking
information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as
expressly required under applicable securities laws.
For further information, please contact:
Ramón Barúa Costa
Chief Executive Officer
SOURCE: Aclara Resources Inc.