Chief Financial Officer

TM Partners was retained by a TSX listed, West Africa focused gold development company to appoint a highly capable Chief Financial Officer at a defining stage of the company’s growth.

The appointment was mission critical as the business advanced its flagship asset toward development, requiring a CFO with the financial rigour, capital markets experience, and regional resilience to support project progression, funding strategy, and governance in a complex operating environment.

The successful CFO was required to:

• Lead the company’s financial strategy, budgeting, forecasting, and cash management throughout the development lifecycle.
• Oversee project finance, funding strategy, and capital allocation, supporting equity, debt, and strategic financing initiatives.
• Ensure robust financial controls, reporting, and governance, aligned with public-company and investor expectations.
• Act as a strategic partner to the CEO and Board, supporting investment decision-making and risk management.
• Manage relationships with investors, lenders, advisors, and regulators, both locally and internationally.
• Build and lead a high-performing finance function capable of operating effectively across multiple jurisdictions.

A central challenge in this search was identifying a CFO who could combine capital markets credibility with hands-on experience in emerging and frontier jurisdictions, particularly within West Africa.

The role demanded more than technical finance expertise. The successful candidate needed to demonstrate resilience, sound judgement, and the ability to operate calmly and decisively amid geopolitical, security, and infrastructure complexities, while maintaining the confidence of Boards, investors, and funding partners.

This required a finance leader capable of balancing growth ambition with disciplined risk management in a frontier operating environment.

TM Partners designed and executed a highly targeted, global search strategy focused on identifying senior mining finance leaders with proven experience across gold development, project finance, and public-company environments.

We began by aligning closely with the CEO and Board to define the success profile, with particular emphasis on:

• Development-stage gold project exposure
• Capital raising and investor engagement experience
• Operational understanding of West Africa or comparable regions

Our approach combined detailed global market mapping, discreet headhunting, and the mobilisation of our international mining network across Africa, Australia, Europe, and North America. Each candidate was assessed not only on technical capability, but also on leadership style, cultural adaptability, and risk awareness.

TM Partners undertook a disciplined global search, mapping 46 senior mining finance leaders aligned with the experience profile defined during our initial briefing with the Board.

From this population, we developed a focused longlist of 12 leaders and ultimately presented a shortlist of 5 CFO-ready candidates, each rigorously benchmarked against the company’s strategic objectives, capital requirements, and operating context.

The appointed Chief Financial Officer clearly differentiated himself through his extensive West African gold experience, combined with a proven ability to lead and develop high-performing finance teams. His depth of leadership capability, financial acumen, and regional credibility positioned him as the standout candidate to support the company through its next phase of growth.

TM Partners successfully delivered a high-impact Chief Financial Officer appointment, strengthening the company’s leadership team and materially enhancing its ability to advance its gold project, engage capital markets, and manage financial risk across West Africa.
The CFO has since played a pivotal role in strengthening governance, supporting funding discussions, and positioning the company for its next phase of growth.