Ivanhoe Mines announces leadership appointments ■ Mark Farren, Chief Operating Officer, to transition from executive role to become Strategic Advisor to the board ■ Tom van den Berg, Executive Operations at Kamoa-Kakula to be
November 26, 2025
Ivanhoe Mines announces leadership appointments
■
Mark Farren, Chief Operating Officer, to transition from
executive role to become Strategic Advisor to the board
■
Tom van den Berg, Executive Operations at Kamoa-Kakula to be
appointed Chief Operating Officer following handover period
■
Mining industry leader Nick Popovic
appointed as Strategic Advisor to the board
■
Significant further personnel additions planned to enhance
operational capabilities
■
Manfu Ma steps down from Ivanhoe board after six years
of dedicated service; Xianwen Wu, CITIC Metal Group
General Manager, joins Ivanhoe board
■
Ivanhoe Mines to issue Kamoa-Kakula’s 2026 & 2027 copper
production guidance next week
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN; OTCQX: IVPAF)
Executive Co-Chair Robert Friedland and President and Chief Executive Officer Marna
Cloete announce today key management and board appointments of Ivanhoe Mines.
After more than ten years in various key operational leadership positions at Ivanhoe
Mines, Mark Farren, Chief Operating Officer, will transition from his executive role to
become Strategic Advisor to the board. In his capacity as Strategic Advisor, Mr. Farren
will continue to support the delivery of Ivanhoe’s next phase of organic growth,
including the Platreef Phase 2 expansion and the development of the Western
Forelands.
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Tom van den Berg, Senior Executive, Operations at Kamoa-Kakula, will be appointed as
Ivanhoe Mines’ Chief Operating Officer, effective January 1, 2026. Mr. van den Berg will
remain at Kamoa-Kakula for an interim period to oversee the ongoing operational
recovery and turnaround strategy.
Mr. van den Berg will also be responsible for building out technical expertise and
operational excellence across the Ivanhoe Mines organization, with significant further
personnel additions planned in the near term.
Mining industry leader Nick Popovic joins Ivanhoe Mines as a Strategic Advisor to the
board. Mr. Popovic brings a wealth of knowledge from over three decades with
Glencore International AG, including significant experience in both the Democratic
Republic of the Congo and Kazakhstan, and he will advise the company in terms of
commercial and operational matters, as well as growth strategy.
In addition, Manfu Ma, will step down from Ivanhoe Mines’ Board of Directors. Ivanhoe
Mines extends its deepest appreciation to Mr. Ma for his distinguished service since his
appointment in August 2019. In his place, Ivanhoe Mines welcomes Mr. Xianwen Wu to
the board of directors, effective November 26, 2025. Mr. Wu is currently the General
Manager of CITIC Metal Group and has over 30 years of experience in international
commodity trading and mining investment.
Ivanhoe Mines plans to issue Kamoa-Kakula’s 2026 and 2027 copper production week
commencing December 1, 2025.
Ivanhoe Mines Executive Co-Chair, Robert Friedland, commented:
“The next chapters of Ivanhoe’s growth are going to be nothing short of extraordinary,
and we are positioned well following the appointments of Tom van den Berg, Mark
Farren, and Nick Popovic. I couldn’t be more energized and excited about what is yet to
come.
"I also extend my sincere thanks to Manfu Ma for his wisdom, support, and unwavering
dedication in shaping the development of the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex, and in
the process building Ivanhoe Mines into a world-class company with now three
operating mines. Since joining the board in 2019, Mr. Ma has been instrumental in
Kamoa-Kakula’s three phases, each of which were delivered ahead of schedule. We
welcome Xianwen Wu to our board, and we look forward to continuing to work with
CITIC Metal on our shared vision for a bright future.”
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Ivanhoe to appoint Tom van den Berg as Chief Operating Officer following
handover period
Tom van den Berg will join Ivanhoe Mines
as Chief Operating Officer on January 1,
2026 from Kamoa Copper, where he was
appointed Senior Executive, Operations in
February 2025. For an interim period, he
will remain at Kamoa -Kakula as Ivanhoe
Mines’ senior management designate to
oversee the ongoing recovery and
turnaround plan at Kamoa-Kakula.
Mr. van den Berg has 37 years of mining
and mine development experience across
Southern Africa, spanning numerous
operational leadership and management
roles at Sibanye-Stillwater, Harmony
Gold, and Anglo American Platinum (now
Valterra Platinum).
Mr. van den Berg has extensive underground and open-pit mining expertise and has
experience developing strategic long-term operating partnerships and leading award-
winning community and stakeholder engagement programs.
Mr. van den Berg holds a Master’s degree in Business Leadership and a Bachelor’s
degree in Mining Engineering. He is also a Fellow at the Southern African Institute of
Mining and Metallurgy.
Mark Farren, Chief Operating Officer, to transition from executive role to
become Strategic Advisor to the board
Mark Farren will transition to a new role as
Strategic Advisor to the board. Mr. Farren
will assist Mr. van den Berg with the build-
out of a technical centre of excellence, and
retaining and developing skills within the
group that will be vital to continuing the
strong track record Ivanhoe Mines has
achieved to date.
Mr. Farren has overseen a remarkable
phase of project execution and growth at
Ivanhoe Mines, including the delivery of
nine major capital projects in the past five
years while as Chief Operating Officer at
Ivanhoe Mines and Chief Executive Officer
at Kamoa Copper. This includes the
construction of Kamoa -Kakula’s Phase 1,
Tom van den Berg,
Chief Operating Officer, Ivanhoe Mines
Mark Farren
Strategic Advisor, Ivanhoe Mines
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2 and 3 operations and subsequent debottlenecking, Kamoa -Kakula’s on-site direct-to-
blister copper smelter, the rehabilitation and construction of Kipushi Mine, the recently -
opened Phase 1 operation at Platreef, as well as the refurbishment of the hydroele ctric
facilities at Mwadingusha and Turbine #5 at Inga II.
Given his wealth of experience, Mr. Farren will continue to support the board of
directors and management team on the delivery of Ivanhoe’s next phase of organic
growth, including the further expansions of the Platreef Mine and the commencement of
development of the Makoko District in the Western Forelands.
Ivanhoe Mines appoints recognized industry leader, Nick Popovic, as
Strategic Advisor
Nick Popovic has been appointed as a
Strategic Advisor to the board, to assist with
the growth strategy of the company as well as
advise on commercial and operational
matters.
Mr. Popovic is a highly accomplished
professional in the metals and mining
industry, with over 30 years of trading and
operational experience. Mr. Popovic began his
career at Marc Rich + Co, which later became
Glencore International AG, in 1992, trading
base metals.
Over the course of his tenure at Glencore, Mr.
Popovic ascended to a senior executive role
as Co-Head of Copper, Zinc, Lead, and Cobalt
trading, before retiring in 2023.
While at Glencore, Mr. Popovic was also integral in the company’s acquisition and
expansion of Kazzinc, following its privatization in 1997. He initially served as Chief
Executive Officer of Kazzinc from 1998, overseeing multiple phases of investment and
growth during his tenure. In 2014, Mr. Popovic was Chairman of Kazzinc until 2024.
Mr. Popovic holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Cambridge University.
Nick Popovic
Strategic Advisor, Ivanhoe Mines
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Manfu Ma steps down from Ivanhoe board of directors after six years of
dedicated service; Xianwen Wu, CITIC Metal Group General Manager, joins
Ivanhoe board
Manfu Ma, is stepping down as a director of
Ivanhoe Mines, having served as a member
of Ivanhoe Mines’ Board of Directors since
August 16, 2019. Since joining the board in
2019, Mr. Ma has provided invaluable
guidance, strategic insight, and steadfast
support during a transformative period in
the company’s growth.
CITIC Metal Africa Investment Limited
nominates Mr. Xianwen Wu to replace Mr.
Ma on the board of directors, effective
November 26, 2025.
Mr. Wu is currently the General Manager of
CITIC Metal Group, the parent company of
CITIC Metal Africa Investment Limited, as
well as the Chairman of CITIC Metal Co.
Limited. Mr. Wu joined CITIC Group in
1994 and has over 30 years of experience
in international commodity trading and
mining investment.
About Ivanhoe Mines
Ivanhoe Mines is a Canadian mining company focused on advancing its three principal
projects in Southern Africa; the expansion of the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the
DRC, the ramp-up of the ultra-high-grade Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine,
also in the DRC; and the phased development of the tier-one Platreef palladium-nickel-
platinum-rhodium-copper-gold mine in South Africa.
Ivanhoe Mines is also exploring across its highly prospective, 60-100% owned
exploration licences in the Western Forelands, covering an area over five times larger
than the adjacent Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex. Ivanhoe is exploring for new
sedimentary copper discoveries, as well as expanding and further defining its high-
grade Makoko, Kiala, and Kitoko copper discoveries as the company’s next major
development projects.
Follow Robert Friedland (@robert_ivanhoe) and Ivanhoe Mines (@IvanhoeMines_) on X.
Xianwen Wu
Board of Directors, Ivanhoe Mines
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Information contact
Investors
Vancouver: Matthew Keevil +1.604.558.1034
London: Tommy Horton +44 7866 913 207
Media
Vancouver: Tanya Todd +1.604.331.9834
Website www.ivanhoemines.com