TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Dual-listed Intrepid Mines on Thursday announced that it had appointed Scott Lowe CEO and MD effective from November 1, to fill the vacancy left after Brad Gordon resigned in August.

Lowe has extensive experience in international mining operations and managing international litigation issues, and has a sound knowledge and understanding of the various jurisdictions into which the company may expand in the future.

He was previously employed as MD and CEO of Blackthorn Resources and had held senior management roles with BHP Billiton, Peabody Pacific and P&O. He holds an MBA along with tertiary qualifications in Mining Engineering and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

"We are looking forward to Scott joining Intrepid. His extensive experience in international mining operations, his proven negotiation skills and past experience in building teams and developing new projects will prove invaluable as we work to protect and enforce the company's rights to the Tujuh Bukit project, and to develop new opportunities to take the company forward,” executive chairperson Ian McMaster said.

The company is appealing a split ruling on a case it brought before the State Administrative Tribunal, in Surabaya, East Java, to set aside the transfer of two mining leases for the Tujuh Bukit copper/gold project to a new company controlled by some of Indonesia’s richest men, including tycoon Edwin Soeryadjaya.

Intrepid was effectively locked out of the $5-billion project after the controllers of the PT Indo Multi Niaga (PT IMN) joint venture company transferred the ownership of Intrepid's 80% shareholding to another vehicle, PT Bumi Sukses Indo (BSI).

After the leases were transferred, the shareholding had changed such that PT IMN was no longer a shareholder in BSI. Intrepid said Indonesian legislation provided that mining leases were not transferable, with an exception for transfers to majority-held subsidiaries.

A new shareholder, Hong Kong-based private equity investor Quantum Pacific, in June led a push to take over the Intrepid board and pursue a plan to negotiate with Soeryadjaya to win back a stake in Tujuh Bukit within nine months.

But a majority of shareholders rejected that plan in a vote, supporting the board and the battle to win back rights to Tujuh Bukit, which may hold 19-billion pounds of copper and 30-million ounces of gold.

The company instituted legal proceedings, seeking that the decisions of the Bupati of Banyuwangi (the local government chief executive) to approve the transfer and the subsequent changes in shareholding in BSI, be declared illegal.