OUR PEOPLE
Management
Mark Laybourn
Chief Financial Officer
Mr Laybourn is a Fellow Chartered Accountant with an MBA from The University of Western Australia and brings over 20 years’ experience spanning corporate finance, advisory and financial leadership. He has held senior finance and corporate advisory roles across ASX-listed companies, major consulting firms and leading financial institutions.
Susan Park
Company Secretary
Ms Park is a governance professional with over 25 years’ experience in the corporate finance industry and extensive experience in Company Secretary and Non-Executive Director roles in ASX, AIM, Nasdaq and TSX listed companies. Ms Park holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia majoring in Accounting and Finance, is a Member of the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment, a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute. She is Managing Director of boutique advisory firm Park Advisory Pty Ltd which provides Boards with company secretarial and corporate governance advice and input. She is currently Company Secretary of several ASX listed companies.
Pauline Blundell
Corporate Services Manager | Australia
Pauline Blundell is the Corporate Services Manager at Chilwa Minerals, overseeing core corporate services and operational support functions that underpin the company’s growth as it advances the Chilwa Critical Minerals Project in Malawi, including governance and corporate readiness activities. She brings a strong background in project and corporate services within the resources sector, having joined Arafura Resources as a Project Administrator before being promoted to Project Services Manager, with earlier roles at Wave International and Canyon Resources. Pauline is recognised for building practical systems and processes that improve delivery across multidisciplinary teams, supported by a disciplined, delivery-focused approach to process improvement, stakeholder coordination, and documentation.
Evelyn Kaunda
Corporate Services Manager | Malawi
Evelyn Kaunda is the Corporate Services Manager – Malawi for Chilwa Minerals, overseeing corporate services, stakeholder coordination, and operational support across the company’s Malawian projects. She brings extensive experience in administration and procurement from the Malawian engineering and construction sectors. Evelyn is CIPS-qualified (UK) and possesses formal expertise in contract negotiation and supply chain strategy. Her local operational knowledge is key to supporting Chilwa’s exploration activities and coordinating effectively with the Australian head offices.
Sylvester Milner
Laboratory Operations Manager
Sylvester is a senior laboratory and operations professional with over 20 years of experience in mineral exploration and sample preparation. He has led the successful development and expansion of major laboratory facilities for leading mining companies, including First Quantum Minerals Operations in Zambia. His deep operational expertise and practical leadership consistently drive efficient, reliable, and optimised laboratory performance.
Keith Byrne
Technical Operations Manager
Keith, Technical Manager at Chilwa, is a Professionally accredited Geologist (EurGeol) with degree qualifications in Commerce and Geology from University College Dublin (Ireland). He has worked with junior exploration and development Companies on LSE and ASX unlocking and maintaining shareholder value from early-stage exploration through feasibility to mining and has worked on alluvial and hard-rock platinum and PGM projects, Orogenic gold projects as well as in Mineral Sands and Rare Earths exploration and development. His experience integrates both technical and commercial roles having served as Company Secretary for London listed companies.
Edwin Owino
Principal Geologist | Heavy Mineral Sands/Ionic Clays
Edwin is a geologist with 20 years of experience, 15 of which have been in heavy mineral sands exploration, development, and mining primarily in East Africa. He was appointed Exploration Manager at Base Titanium Ltd (Kenya’s flagship world-class mining operation) in 2022, a role which he served until the conclusion of exploration operations in 2025. Edwin is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and has sufficient experience to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nairobi (with Honours) and is a professional member of Geological Society of Kenya (GSK) and is registered with the Geologist Registration Board of Kenya (GRB).
Raymond Quee
Project Geologist | REE
Raymond is an Exploration Geologist with more than 14 years of experience delivering exploration programs across East, Southeast and West Africa, spanning greenfield and brownfield and mine resource development projects. He has significant expertise in critical minerals-REEs, Lithium, Heavy mineral sands as well as Base metals and gold. Raymond has a strong track record in exploration target generation- integration of geochemical and geophysical datasets and geological modelling to support exploration strategy and resource development. His experience includes managing exploration target generation and drilling programs and supporting resource definition in accordance with internationally recognised reporting standards, including JORC. He is known for his strong commitments with hands-on leadership approach to exploration and the ability to translate technical data into practical exploration decisions that advance project value. Raymond holds a B.Sc. in Applied Geology from Fourah Bay College and a Certificate in Business Valuation.
Seif Mhina
Senior Laboratory Manager
Seif Mhina is a highly experienced laboratory professional with over 18 years in the mining and minerals industry, specialising in sample preparation, analysis, and laboratory management. He has held senior roles with Australian Laboratory Services (ALS) and brings strong expertise in quality systems, safety, and operational leadership. As Senior Laboratory Manager at Chilwa Minerals Africa Limited, ensures the delivery of safe, efficient, and high-quality sample processing to support reliable analytical results.