Former PwC exec Leon Binedell appointed CFO of Guyana Goldfields

Leon Binedell, former national leader of finance consulting in mining & energy at PwC Canada, has been appointed chief financial officer at Guyana Goldfields, a Canada-based mid-tier gold producer with operations in Guyana, South America.

Guyana Goldfields (TSX: GUY) announced that Binedell would take over from interim CFO Christopher Stackhouse on August 26. Stackhouse had held the interim role for the past eight months.

Binedell brings over 23 years of experience in the global mining sector as a senior financial leader, with a specialization in driving business value. He joins Guyana Goldfields from mining-focused private equity firm Resource Capital Funds, where he was the finance director and helped companies drive strong and sustainable returns for stakeholders.

Before that, Binedell was a mining & energy finance leader at PwC Canada, where he led the consultancy team in helping clients achieve costs savings and financial improvements.

Earlier in his career, Binedell held senior finance roles at Xstrata Nickel and Xstrata Coal, working in the areas of operational performance improvement, budgeting and forecasting, risk management, and internal controls. 

He began his career at Deloitte, where he was a senior audit manager. Binedell is a chartered professional accountant, and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Johannesburg.

"The Company is pleased with the appointment of Mr. Binedell to the executive team,” René Marion, non-executive chair of the board, said. “Leon's expertise and leadership with major capital project development, operational analysis, and continuous improvement will support the Company's efforts to deliver operational efficiency at the Aurora Gold Mine.”

The company’s Aurora Gold Mine in Guyana experienced a three-day work stoppage earlier this month. The three operational days lost (July 2 - July 4) resulted in approximately 22,500 tonnes of ore not being processed, though the firm reported full-year production guidance would remain unaffected at 145,000-160,000 ounces of gold.

"Personnel are being re-mobilized and the site is ramping back up to normal operations in a phased and safe manner,” Suresh Kalathil, chief operational officer, said in a company release on July 5. “The Company has agreed to a dialogue with employee representatives and Government authorities to resolve any outstanding issues in full compliance with Guyanese labour law."