Kenmare Resources plc announced the appointment of Tom Hickey as Financial Director with effect from 26 September 2022. Tom will also be appointed as an Executive Director to the Board on the same date. Tom's appointment follows a thorough search process led by the Nomination Committee, in conjunction with an independent executive search firm.

Tom brings significant financial and natural resources experience to Kenmare, having served for 15 years as Executive Director of various public companies. This includes eight years as Chief Financial Officer of the African and South American-focused oil and gas producer Tullow Oil plc (“Tullow”) from 2000 to 2008. During this time, he developed and implemented the financial strategy that saw Tullow grow from a micro-cap company to a FTSE 100 business valued at $15 billion.

He was central to the success of major acquisitions and debt and equity fundings, as well as responsible for capital allocation of an annual budget of over $700 million. Tom also held senior financial roles with the oil and gas exploration company Petroceltic International plc (“Petroceltic”) between 2010 and 2016, including latterly as Chief Financial Officer. Tom has strong Board-level experience, currently serving as an Independent Non-Executive Director with United Oil & Gas plc (“UOG”) and previously as an Independent Non-Executive Director with Petroneft Resources plc (“Petroneft”).

Tom has a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Diploma in Professional Accounting, both from University College Dublin, and he is a Fellow of the Irish Institute of Chartered Accountants. Tom will succeed Tony McCluskey who, earlier this year, announced his intention to retire from the Company. Tony will step down from the Board and his role as Financial Director on 26 September 2022 but will continue to be employed by the Company for a period to facilitate the transfer of responsibilities to Tom and to assist the Company with various other matters.

Tom is currently a Non-Executive Director of UOG and Chair of its Audit Committee. UOG is an oil and gas company listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. Graham Martin, a Non-Executive Director of Kenmare, is Chairman of UOG.

Tom will resign from the UOG Board on 23 September 2022, in advance of taking up his role with Kenmare. Tom was previously a Non-Executive Director of Petroneft, an oil and gas exploration and production company, quoted on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and the Euronext Growth Market of Euronext Dublin. He resigned as a Director of Petroneft in December 2020.

Tom was also previously a Director of Petroceltic, an oil and gas exploration company incorporated in Ireland, which was listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and the Enterprise Securities Market of the Irish Stock Exchange. Petroceltic was placed into examinership under Irish law in April 2016 in connection with the preparation of a scheme of arrangement for the company. Upon the scheme being approved by the Irish High Court in June 2016, the examinership process concluded and Tom and various other members of the Board stepped down as directors.