New Chair on Board: BMC Minerals Fortifies Its Leadership as KZK Project Edges Closer to Reality

In what it describes as a pivotal step in its corporate renewal, BMC Minerals has appointed seasoned mining executive Steven Michael as the independent Chair of its Board of Directors. The announcement, made on 8 July 2025, marks a strategic bolstering of leadership as the company edges closer to advancing its flagship Kudz Ze Kayah (KZK) Project in Canada’s Yukon Territory.

BMC, a private player with a focus on critical minerals, has been steadily restructuring as it prepares for the next phase of development. The appointment of Michael—an industry veteran with a quarter-century of experience across investment banking, project development, and executive leadership—signals intent.

Michael’s pedigree is nothing to sniff at. His resume includes stints as Managing Director and CEO of ASX-listed Red Hawk Mining and Vimy Resources, as well as executive roles at FTI Consulting, RBC Capital Markets, Macquarie Bank, and NM Rothschild & Sons. More recently, he’s worn a range of governance hats, including Non-Executive Director roles at Predictive Discovery (ASX: PDI) and Marvel Gold (ASX: MVL), along with past directorships at Deep Yellow (ASX: DYL) and Wia Gold (ASX: WIA).

In a statement accompanying the appointment, BMC CEO Michael McClelland described the move as “a significant step in the ongoing growth of BMC Minerals,” adding that it will help to ensure the successful development of the KZK Project. “The KZK Project has the potential to create generational wealth for Kaska First Nations, local communities, the Yukon, and Canada at a time when the world is demanding responsibly and ethically produced critical minerals,” McClelland said.

For his part, the newly minted chair was characteristically bullish: “The KZK project will be a major force in Canada’s critical minerals sector and helping bring that to reality is a great opportunity,” Michael said. “I am very excited to work with the BMC Minerals team under Michael McClelland’s leadership.”

It’s clear that BMC sees the KZK Project as not just another polymetallic play, but a potential anchor asset in a geopolitically sensitive and resource-rich jurisdiction. The project, which contains copper, zinc, lead, silver, and gold, comes with both economic promise and social license challenges—not least due to its location within the traditional territory of the Kaska Dena people. That said, the company has touted the project’s alignment with ESG priorities, including community partnership and responsible sourcing.

The appointment of a high-calibre independent chair like Michael could help shore up investor confidence, particularly if and when BMC seeks capital market support. It’s worth noting that while BMC remains unlisted, its leadership includes executives well-versed in ASX dynamics—a hint, perhaps, of future listing ambitions.

For now, though, the company is focused on advancing KZK through permitting and toward construction. The project has been through the wringer of Canadian environmental assessments, with BMC’s permitting process stalled and restarted more than once. Recent signs, however, suggest momentum is building again.

With critical minerals now firmly on the strategic radar of both Ottawa and Canberra, the geopolitical winds seem to be blowing in BMC’s favour. The question is whether the company can capitalise on that tailwind before it shifts. Appointing a figure like Steven Michael—who’s equally at home with geos and geologists as he is with bankers—suggests BMC is playing a long, strategic game.

And in the high-stakes world of critical minerals, that may be exactly what’s required.