EXTERRA - Key Persons


Anik Gendron

Job Titles:
  • Chief Legal & External Affairs Officer
Anik is a corporate attorney with over 14 years of extensive experience in securities law & capital markets, corporate governance, mining law, transactional M&A, and commercial contract negotiation. Known for her business acumen, Anik has advised many entrepreneurs at all stages of development and has served as general counsel and corporate secretary for several publicly traded companies, predominantly in the mining sector. With her breadth of knowledge and expertise, Anik's mission is to guide Exterra through the complex mining carbon sequestration regulatory environment.

Colin Merrill

Job Titles:
  • Business Associate
Colin is a skilled financial professional, honed from his time as an investment banker at BMO Capital Markets, where he led complex corporate transactions across diverse sectors. With expertise in both process and people management, Colin aims to combine his analytical and interpersonal skills to enhance efficiency and drive Exterra's business strategies, furthering its role in the circular economy and efforts towards decarbonization.

David Fennell - Chief Strategy Officer, Founder

Job Titles:
  • Chief Strategy Officer
  • Co - Founder
  • Professional Civil Engineer
David is a Professional Civil Engineer (nonpracticing) with on-site experience in all phases of large-scale mine development. He has a passion for mining and finding new ways to develop the industry's positive impacts. Currently enrolled in the Colorado School of Mines; Professional Masters in Mining Engineering and Management, and Certificate in Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage.

Jean-Philippe Gagnon - CTO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Technology Officer
Jean-Philippe brings a robust 26-year track record in industrial chemistry, underscored by his master's degree in physical chemistry and diverse experience from metallurgy to concrete durability. During his tenure at SIMCO Technologies as Director of Product Development, he was a pivotal force in the engineering services, transforming industrial residues into sustainable building materials. His prior roles in mineral processing and expertise in complex thermal processes, coupled with his academic contributions as a lecturer, solidify his status as an innovative leader dedicated to advancing technology in the service of environmental sustainability.

Olivier Dufresne - CEO, Founder

Job Titles:
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Co - Founder
Olivier is an experienced leader who has spent years in mine development as a mining engineer. A former investment banker, Olivier is recognized for his ability to rapidly learn and think critically, which made him a highly valued capital markets professional, as well as an undisputed team player. A creator of solutions and an agent of change, Olivier is now determined to transform the face of the mining industry by developing solutions for net-zero production of the minerals needed for the energy transition. He intends to achieve this through his passion for developing technologies and projects that have a tangible positive impact on our environment and our communities

Tarek Chalhoub - COO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Operating Officer
  • Professional Engineer
Tarek is a Professional Engineer with nearly 15 years of experience in engineering, project execution and commissioning of complex mining projects. He has played a key role in his contribution of projects in the fields of gold, iron and spodumene in Canada, Mauritania, Suriname, and Ecuador. He has a passion for project delivery and motivated to make an impact on the mining industry.

Éric Proulx

Job Titles:
  • Director of Metallurgy
Éric has over 30 years of experience in analytical chemsitry, ore processing optimization, and spearheading innovative technologies. Over the course of his career, he has developed extensive expertise in the design, installation, and operation of on-site pilot projects. Éric has also worked on the development of solutions to optimize precious metal leaching processes, has carried out projects for the development of hydrometallurgical processes, performed on-site audits to diagnose complex problems in cyanidation circuits, and has facilitated treatment projects for liquid mine waste to recycle compounds such as cyanide.