Iron-ore miner Fenix Resources has appointed mining executive Fernando Pereira as COO of its wholly owned subsidiary, Westmine, as the company targets a major expansion of its iron-ore operations.

Pereira, who will start in the role on November 17, brings more than 20 years of operational leadership in the iron-ore sector. He previously spent 11 years at Fortescue Metals Group, where he held senior positions across mining, rail and port operations, including serving as director of Pilbara operations.

His career also includes senior roles with Hancock Prospecting, where he was director of operations; BHP, where he worked as processing superintendent; and Mineral Resources, where he most recently served as COO of MinRes Lithium.

As Westmine’s COO, Pereira will take operational responsibility for Fenix’s existing iron-ore mining operations at Iron Ridge, Shine and Beebyn-W11, and will work closely with the company’s project team on the feasibility study for the Weld Range project. The study underpins Fenix’s goal of ramping up exports to ten-million tonnes a year under its Right to Mine agreement for Weld Range.

Fenix executive chair John Welborn said Pereira’s appointment marked an important milestone in the company’s growth ambitions.

“The recruitment of Fernando Pereira is an important step in our plans to capitalise on the recent expansion of our available mining inventory,” Welborn said.

“Having achieved our ambition of expanding production to four-million tonnes per year during 2025, we now have our sights set on being a ten-million-tonne-per-annum producer from the Weld Range. Fernando’s passion and expertise in successful iron-ore operations will be essential as we continue to generate strong profits from our existing mines and work to deliver the potential of the Weld Range project in increased production and lower costs.”

Fenix, which operates a vertically integrated iron-ore business in Western Australia, said Pereira’s experience in managing large-scale operations and fully integrated supply chains would support the company’s next phase of growth.