The Augusta Group is a mining sector-focused management group based in Canada and the United States. Our specialization is surfacing value through our award-winning exploration efforts and rapidly advancing projects with consistent access to low-cost capital through exploration, feasibility, and permitting to point of sale or into production.
Augusta has an exceptional track record of value creation in the mining sector, with over C$4.5B in exit transactions since 2011. This includes: the sale of Ventana Gold for C$1.6B in 2011; the sale of Augusta Resource for C$667M in 2014; Co-Founder of Equinox Gold in 2017, now a mid-tier gold producer with a market cap over C$1.8B; and the sale of Arizona Mining for C$2.1B in 2018.
Team
Richard Warke
Founder and Chairman
Richard Warke is a Vancouver-based Canadian business executive with more than 35 years of experience in the international resource sector. In 2005, Mr. Warke founded the Augusta Group of Companies which has an exceptional track record of value creation in the mining sector.
From 2006 and until 2018 Augusta founded, managed, and funded three world class mineral discoveries. Ventana Gold, discovered the La Bodega gold deposit in Colombia, now reported to host over 10Moz of gold, Augusta sold the company for $1.3B in 2011. Augusta Resource, advanced the Rosemont copper project in Arizona through drilling, feasibility and permitting to become one of the largest copper deposits in United States, it was sold for $667M in 2014. Arizona Mining, discovered the Taylor deposit and grew the Hermosa-Taylor deposit into one of the top five primary zinc deposits globally, largest in United States, prior to its sale for $2.1B in 2018.
Currently, Augusta Group is comprised of private businesses and public companies that currently includes Titan Mining Corporation, Augusta Gold Corp. and Solaris Resources Inc. Titan Mining operates a zinc mine in New York State, Augusta Gold is developing a gold mine in a prolific mining district in Nevada, and Solaris Resources is advancing a portfolio of copper and gold assets in the Americas, including a high-grade, world-class resource at its copper and gold project Warintza in Ecuador.
In addition, in 2017 Mr. Warke co-founded Equinox Gold which has now become a mid-tier gold producer and one of the fastest growing gold companies in the Americas growing to over a $3.0B market cap with mines in US, Mexico and Brazil.
During the course of his career, Mr. Warke has established a reputation for building successful companies by generating pioneering transactions in the mining sector through prudent investing in earlier stages of the mine cycle. His specialization is surfacing value through award-winning exploration efforts and rapidly advancing projects with consistent access to low-cost capital through exploration, feasibility, and permitting to point of sale or into production. His expertise, combined with his extensive relationships across the global mining sector, have resulted in rapid growth and a proven track record of success making him a widely-recognized strategic partner and a sought after industry expert for commentary on business, mining and related topics.
Donald R. Taylor, P.G.
Donald Taylor has 30 years of mineral exploration experience with precious and base metals on five continents, taking projects from exploration to mine development. He is the recipient of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s 2018 Thayer Lindsley Award for the 2014 discovery of the Taylor lead-zinc-silver deposit in Arizona. Mr. Taylor has worked extensively for large and small cap companies, including Arizona Mining, BHP Minerals, Bear Creek Mining, American Copper and Nickel, Doe Run Resources and Westmont Mining Company. He is a Licensed Professional Geologist in several eastern and western states and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Taylor has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from Southeast Missouri State University and a Master of Science degree from the University of Missouri at Rolla.
Daniel Earle
Daniel Earle has over 17 years of experience in the mining sector and capital markets, covering projects ranging from early stage exploration through feasibility and engineering to production. Mr. Earle is currently the President and CEO of Solaris Resources and also serves on its Board of Directors. Prior to joining Solaris in November 2019, he was a Vice President and Director at TD Securities where he covered the mining sector for over 12 years and established himself as a thought leader in the space. Prior to joining TD Securities in 2007, Mr. Earle was a senior executive with a number of Canadian and U.S. public mineral exploration and mining companies. Mr. Earle sits on the Board of Directors of Augusta Gold Corp. and is a graduate and scholar of the Lassonde Mineral Engineering Program at the University of Toronto.
Rita Adiani
Ms. Rita Adiani has over 18 years of experience in the mining industry and has been involved in operating companies and development projects in North and South America, Australia, Europe and Africa. She has held senior executive positions in listed companies, private investment vehicles and has been an investment banker and lawyer. She has experience in global capital markets, public and private M&A transactions and has been involved in raising over US$10 billion in public equity capital.
Ms. Adiani is a law graduate from the University of Oxford and the University of Sheffield. She has a Chartered Financial Analyst qualification (Level 4) in ESG Investing from the CFA Institute and also has a Certificate in Mining Studies — Mining & Minerals Engineering from the University of British Columbia (Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering).
Purni Parikh
Purni Parikh has over 25 years of public company experience in the mining sector including corporate affairs and finance, legal and regulatory administration, and governance. Ms. Parikh is President of the Augusta Group of Companies and Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs of its member companies. Previously, Ms. Parikh was Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Secretary of Arizona Mining Inc. and Newcastle Gold Ltd., and Vice President, Corporate Secretary for Augusta Resource Corporation and Ventana Gold Corp. prior to their acquisition. Ms. Parikh obtained a Certificate in Business from the University of Toronto and a Gemology degree. Ms. Parikh sits on the Board of Directors of Sun Summit Minerals Corp. and holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Tom Ladner
Tom Ladner is Vice President Legal for the Augusta Group of Companies, including Solaris Resources Inc., Augusta Gold Corp., Titan Mining Corporation and Armor Minerals Inc. Mr. Ladner brings legal, securities and mining expertise to the group having advised on multiple M&A transactions valued in excess of $1B and more than 25 public market financings raising in aggregate more than $750M. Prior to joining the Augusta Group in 2020, Mr. Ladner practiced law in the Securities and Capital Markets group of a major Canadian law firm. Mr. Ladner has his Honors in Business Administration (with distinction) from the Richard Ivey School of Business and his Juris Doctor from Western University.
Arun Lamba
Mr. Lamba brings nearly fifteen years of experience in financial services and capital markets covering the mining sector, with a wide range of experience covering projects from early-stage exploration through feasibility and construction to production in both base and precious metals. Mr. Lamba most recently served as Senior Mining Analyst at TD Cowen, a leading North American investment bank. Mr. Lamba is a Chartered Financial Analyst and completed an MBA at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and degrees in engineering and economics at Queen's University.