Entrepreneurial activities and company directorships

Melvin’s entrepreneurial spirit is evident in a number of companies he has founded/co-founded and been in executive roles. This includes:

• Co-founder of a number of mineral exploration companies in Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and Europe (including Discovery Ventures Kazakhstan Ltd), where he has worked with his partners in strategic planning, governance, capital raising, operational oversight, legal and transaction/joint venture negotiations.

• Involvement in developing and structuring grassroots mineral exploration projects around the world, several of which have eventually become listed on Australian, Canadian and UK stock exchanges.

• Former chair and co-founder of a private hard rock mineral exploration company that operated in Namibia, Zambia and Rwanda where his role included strategic planning and key commercial and negotiating responsibilities, including various joint ventures and the successful application for the first exploration licence to be granted to an Australian company in Rwanda since the privatisation of its mining sector.

• Involvement in a number of technology start-ups operating in various industries such as insurance, entertainment, hospitality and retail.