Vista Gold Strengthens Mt Todd Project Team with Key Appointments in Australia
__________________ NEWS _________________
Vista Gold Strengthens Mt Todd Project Team with Key Appointments in Australia
Denver, Colorado, February 5, 2026 – Vista Gold Corp. (NYSE American and TSX: VGZ) (“Vista” or the
“Company”) is pleased to announce several key appointments as part of its ongoing program to strengthen the
Company’s project development capability and corporate presence in Australia. The following individuals have been
appointed and recently commenced employment.
Jeff Dang – Executive General Manager – Projects and Technical Services
Sharon Goddard – Executive General Manager – External Relations and Social Performance
Francis Atta Kuranchie – Approvals Manager
Frederick H. Earnest, President and CEO of Vista , commented, “We are pleased to welcome Jeff Dang, Sharon
Goddard and Francis Kuranchie to the Vista team. Their individual experience and talents complement those of our
Mt Todd project team as we aggressively seek to position the Mt Todd project for the start of detailed engineering
and design in early 2027. These appointments mark the start of the transition of project leadership from the corporate
office in Denver, Colorado to Australia. As the project advances, Vista envisions having a small, highly effective
executive team in Perth, Western Australia and a larger operational team based in the Northern Territory. Mr. Dang
and Ms. Goddard will be based in Perth, and Dr . Kuranchie will be based in Darwin where he can more closely
interact with Northern Territory regulatory agencies.”
More comprehensive information about our newest team members and their individual experience follows.
Jeff Dang
Mr. Dang is a mining engineer with more than 18 years of operational, technical, and leadership experience ,
primarily in gold, spanning underground and large-scale open pit operations in Africa, Western Australia, and South
America. His diverse expertise includes mine management and optimization, project and mine development, project
evaluation and studies, and corporate development, including strategic planning and mergers and acquisitions.
Prior to joining Vista, Mr. Dang was General Manager, Projects and Technical for Gold Road Resources Limited in
Western Australia. He also held senior management positions with Bellevue Gold and Anglogold Ashanti. Mr. Dang
is a Q ualified Person as defined by Item 1300 of Regulation S -K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, and Canadian National Instrument 43- 101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. He holds a
Bachelor of Mining Engineering (Honors) from the Western Australian School of Mines in Kalgoorlie and is a
member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM).
Sharon Goddard
Ms. Goddard is an accomplished leader with more than 20 years of experience in the mining sector, specializing in
social performance, ESG, organizational growth and transformation, corporate affairs, and stakeholder engagement.
She brings a proven track record of developing and executing strategies that secure and maintain social license to
operate, strengthen investor and community confidence, and deliver measurable sustainability outcomes. Her
8310 S. Valley Highway
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Phone: 720-981-1185
Trading Symbol: VGZ
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experience includes extensive engagement with Indigenous groups, regulators, and industry bodies while supporting
corporate growth and strong governance.
Ms. Goddard was most recently General Manager, So cial Performance and External Relations for Gold Road
Resources Limited . Ms. Goddard has an MBA from Curtin University Western Australia, a Financial Markets
Diploma from the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company
Directors.
Francis Atta Kuranchie
Dr. Kuranchie is a senior environmental engineer and leader with over 20 years of experience across open pit and
underground mining operations, including gold, copper, iron ore, zinc, and coal. He has held senior health , safety
and environmental roles across multiple Australian jurisdictions , leading environmental approvals, regulatory
compliance, rehabilitation, and stakeholder engagement for both operating sites and projects in development.
Previously, Dr. Kuranchie held environmental managerial positions at the Carosue Dam Operations in Western
Australia, the Millennium Coal Mine in Queensland, and the Pajingo Gold Mine in Queensland. Dr. Kuranchie holds
a PhD in Environmental Engineering from Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia; a Master of Science degree
in Environmental Engineering from Linköping University in Sweden; and a Bachelor of Science degree in
Metallurgical Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. He is
also a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) and also holds a Fellow membership of the Engineers
Australia.
About Vista Gold Corp.
Vista holds the Mt Todd gold project , a leading development -stage gold deposit located in the Tier -1 mining
jurisdiction of Northern Territory, Australia. The Company has defined a clear pathway to greater value creation,
targeting the commencement of detailed engineering and design by early 2027. This milestone is expected to initiate
a 27-month design, construction, and commissioning process.
Mt Todd offers strong project economics, significant initial production, and compelling expansion and exploration
upside. The Project benefits from advanced local infrastructure, multiple development scenarios, and broad
community support, underpinning its potential to become a long-lived, globally significant gold operation.
For further information about Vista or Mt Todd, please contact Pamela Solly, Vice President of Investor Relations,
at (720) 981-1185 or visit the Company’s website at www.vistagold.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and U.S. Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and forward -looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. A ll statements, other
than statements of historical facts, included in this news release that address activities, events or developments that we ex pect or anticipate
will or may occur in the future are forward -looking statements and forward-looking informat ion. These forward-looking statements and
forward-looking information include, but are not limited to statements regarding such things as the Company is aggressively seeking to
position the Mt Todd project for the start of detailed engineering and design in early 2027; these appointments mark the start of the transition
of project leadership from the corporate office in Denver, Colorado to Australia ; the Company envisions having a small, highly effective
executive team in Perth, Western Australia and a larger operational team based in the Northern Territory ; the Company’s belief that the Mt
Todd gold project is a leading development-stage gold deposit; the Company has defined a clear pathway to greater value creation, targeting
the commencement of detailed engineering and design by early 2027; this milestone is expected to initiate a 27-month design, construction,
and commissioning process; Mt Todd offers strong project economics, significant initial production, and compelling expansion and exploration
upside; the Project benefits from advanced local infrastructure, multiple development scenarios, and broad community support, underpinning
its potential to become a long-lived, globally significant gold operation and statements related to the Company’s strategy. The material factors
and assumptions used to develop the forward-looking statements and forward-looking information contained in this news release include the
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following: the Company’s forecasts and expected cash flows; the Company’s projected capital and operating costs; the Company’ s
expectations regarding mining and metallurgical recoveries; mine life and production rates; that laws or regulations impactin g mi ne
development or mining activities will remain consistent; the Company’s approved business plans, mineral resources and mineral reserves
estimates and results of preliminary economic assessments; preliminary feasibility studies and feasibility studies on the Company’s projects,
if any; the Company’s experience with regulators; political and social support of the mining industry in Australia; the Company’s experience
and knowledge of the Australian mining industry and the Company’s expectations of economic conditions and the price of gold. When used
in this news release or elsewhere, the words “optimistic,” “potential,” “indicate,” “expect,” “intend,” “hopes,” “believe,” “may,” “will,” “if,”
“anticipate” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward -looking statements and forward-looking information. These statements
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the
Company to be materially different from any futu re results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Such
factors include, among others, uncertainty of resource and reserve estimates, uncertainty as to the Company’s future capital costs, operating
costs, non-operating costs, and ability to raise capital; risks relating to cost increases for capital and operating costs; risks of shortages and
fluctuating costs of equipment or supplies; risks relating to fluctuations in the price of gold; the inherently hazardous nature of mining-related
activities; potential effects on the Company’s operations of environmental regulations in the countries in which it operates; risks due to legal
proceedings; risks relating to political and economic instability in certain countries in which it operates; uncertainty as to the results of bulk
metallurgical test work; and uncertainty as to completion of critical milestones for Mt Todd; as well as those factors discus sed under the
headings “Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors ” in the Company’s latest Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed
in February 2025, and other documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulatory
authorities. Although the Company has attempted to identify import ant factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
described in forward-looking statements and forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated,
estimated or intended. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update any forward- looking statements or
forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.