Executive Team

He is based in London and has broad experience in raising debt and equity finance for resource companies. He served as Executive Director of the investment banking arm of HSBC Australia where he undertook a range of advisory roles in the resources sector. He has completed a number of acquisitions and financings of resources projects in Europe, China, Australia and Asia.

He is currently Chairman of LSE listed Pensana Plc which is establishing the world’s first independent and sustainable rare earth processing hub at the Saltend Chemicals Park in the Humber Freeport UK and Non Executive Chairman of LSE listed Alkemy Capital Inverstments Plc which is establishing the Tees Valley Lithium Hydroxide refinery in the Teesside Freeport, UK.

Mr Atherley is a strong supporter of Women in STEM and has established a scholarship which provides funding for young women to further their education in science and engineering.

He holds an honours degree in Minerals Engineering from Leeds University and has spent over a decade in production management at several Anglo-American operations in Africa. He was also involved in the plant design and feasibility studies in various base and precious metal projects.

Rocky is one of the few western mining executives with in-depth knowledge of the rare earth industry, including the supply chain, operational start-up and running complex chemical processes.

At Mountain Pass, Rocky was responsible for building the project and delivering operational readiness. He established the training systems, Quality Management and in accordance with “Zero Harm”, the highest possible health, environment and safety performance standards.

She has been at the core of the recent successful development of the UK/Angola bilateral relationship which has seen significant progress in recent years. She is a member of the House of Lords; Honorary Associate Professor at the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College, London; a Member of the Advisory Council, Wilton Park; and a former Trustee of the Malaria Consortium and UNICEF UK.

Dr. Beeton was Director General of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games from 2007 until 2012, and Chairman of WYG PLC and Merseylink Limited. He was also a Principal Vice President with Bechtel, an Advisory Board member of PricewaterhouseCoopers until October 2018, and an independent NonExecutive Director of SSE plc until July 2018.

Robert has joined Pensana from London listed Petra Diamonds Limited where in his role as Finance Manager Corporate and Head of Treasury he was involved in a number of mine financings including two US$ bond issues totalling US$1 billion, a number of African lender facilities totalling over US$750 million and most recently an equity rights issue of US$178 million on the London Stock Exchange.

A fluent speaker of both Portuguese and English, he has established a wide network of governmental and commercial contracts.

He has built and optimised projects supporting magnet and battery manufacture and holds an MBA from Curtin University and a Double Major in Chemistry and Mineral Science from Murdoch University.