Locksley Resources supercharges leadership to drive US antimony strategy

Locksley Resources has hired top-tier executive Kerrie Matthews as its new chief executive officer to fast-track development of the company’s 100% “Made in America” antimony supply chain strategy.

ASX-listed Locksley Resources (ASX: LKY) has drafted two of the industry’s most experienced project leaders to lead its charge into the American critical minerals arena.

Ex-BHP and Iluka powerhouse Kerrie Matthews has been handed the chief executive officer reins, while project delivery expert Danny George has been hired as chief operating officer.

The move marks a major inflection point in Locksley’s bid to restart its dormant Desert antimony mine, just as the United States scrambles to lock down a homegrown supply of the critical mineral.

Matthews brings more than two decades of top-tier experience to the table, including leading roles in BHP Limited’s colossal US$3.8 billion (A$5.8 billion) South Flank iron ore project and Iluka Resources’ $1.8 billion Eneabba rare earths refinery.

Locksley says Matthews’ proven ability to slice through red tape and push billion-dollar projects over the line was a major reason for her recruitment.

Her skills are set to be game-changers for the company, especially in the current US landscape, where federal support and regulatory green lights are now worth their weight in gold.

Matthews has been joined in the trenches by George, who is a seasoned engineering, procurement and construction management specialist with a knack for bringing projects online fast and within a tight capital structure.

George was previously with Fortescue Mining, Mineral Resources, Vale and Hancock Prospecting, working in commodities such as lithium, copper, iron ore and coal.

Locksley’s Desert antimony mine, sitting in the heart of California’s Mojave Desert, last operated in 1937. Thanks to an export ban 12 months ago by China – the world’s biggest supplier - and the metal’s increased use in semiconductors, defence systems and energy storage, antimony is now designated a critical mineral by the US Government, propelling the Desert project back into the limelight.

Recent test work at site delivered a blistering 85.9 per cent antimony recovery from rock chip sampling, encouraging Locksley to eye up fast-track options to bring early ore to market.

In parallel with exploration and mining studies, Locksley is also funding research into downstream processing options. One method, dubbed DeepSolv, is being refined in partnership with Rice University in Houston.

If proven, DeepSolv promises to be a low-energy hydrometallurgical technique that could unlock commercial-scale antimony refining in the US for the first time in decades.

With the geopolitical spotlight firmly on critical minerals, Locksley is also hunting government allies, deep-pocketed backers and offtake partners to help shatter China’s supply chain dominance.

As it accelerates permitting and financing efforts, Locksley says the dual power play appointments of Matthews and George mark a line in the sand and place the company as a serious contender in the US race for critical mineral independence.

Long-time supporter and technical director Julian Woodcock, meanwhile, has stepped down to focus on his role at Viking Mines, but will remain on hand as a consultant to ensure continuity.

With the building blocks now in place and the US market crying out for secure antimony supply, Locksley appears locked, loaded and ready to move.

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