Tirex Appoints Mr. Mark Crawford as Advisor Chairman of AKSIONER International Securities Brokerage Director of BlackburnSteele, LLC and Founder and Partner of BDO’s Montenegrin affiliate President of American Chamber of Commerce in Albania and former Chief Executive
700–510 West Hastings St. Tel: 604-687-7160 www.tirexresources.com Vancouver B.C. Fax: 604-608-9110 [email protected] Canada V6B 1L8 TXX: TSX-V
March 24, 2014 - NR 5-2014
Tirex Appoints Mr. Mark Crawford as Advisor
- Chairman of AKSIONER International Securities Brokerage
Director of BlackburnSteele, LLC and Founder and Partner of BDO’s Montenegrin affiliate
- President of American Chamber of Commerce in Albania and former Chief Executive
Officer of Opportunity Bank
Tirex Resources Ltd. (“Tirex”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Mark Crawford to its Advisory Board.
Mr. Crawford is an experienced international executive in areas such as banking, brokerage, audit, budget development, and equity investment. Mr. Crawford is an American citizen who currently resides in Albania, where he oversees multiple business interests.
Mr. Crawford obtained an M.A. from the University College London (SSEES), University of London, England in 1995 where he studied under Prof. Jacek Rostowski, recent Minister of Finance, Poland. His M.A. research was conducted on Central Bank Reform, Privatization and Macroeconomic Stabilization. Mr. Crawford earned a Series 7 designation (US Securities License) in 1996, an Albanian securities brokerage license in 2011, completed the Chartered Institute of Bankers – Principles of Banking program in Scotland, SixSigma Green Belt Course from Motorola University, Dubai, SWIFT, was named Banker of the Year in Montenegro in 2008 and had a company named by Forbes Magazine as one of the Top 50 Micro Finance Organizations worldwide.
Mr. Crawford is currently a Director of BlackburnSteele, LLC, a United States based financial corporation focused on emerging markets investments. Included within this role, Mr. Crawford is a Founder and Partner of BDO’s Montenegrin affiliate (a top 5 global audit/advisory group), has provided pro-bono emerging economy capital markets development advisory to the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Technical Assistance in Kosovo and is a resident advisor for the Financial Services Volunteer Corps/United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Mr. Crawford is also the Chairman of AKSIONER International Securities Brokerage which established Albania’s first licensed securities brokerage with capacity to enable local investor access to international capital markets. The firm works with Albanian regulated financial companies to develop market linked products, individual investors and local private placements.
Mr. Crawford’s past experience also includes acting as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer for the Opportunity Bank in Podgorica, Montenegro. During this time, Mr. Crawford established a retail bank, supported by the USAID. Amongst other achievements, Mr. Crawford initiated and managed credit arrangements with the IFC, EBRD, KfW and performed the first issuance of preferred equity in Montenegro as well as the country’s first stock buy-back transaction. He grew the bank’s pre-tax ROE to over 40% while extending the bank’s market share to over 40% of the economically active population of Montenegro. Opportunity Bank was sold with original shareholders receiving in excess of a 20% year on year return. Mr. Crawford is also a past Fund Administrator for the Albanian-American Enterprise Fund, New York, USA and Tirana, Albania. This investment fund was authorized by the United States Congress and was capitalized at USD $30 million. At the end of the fund’s investment life, it had given the US Government in excess of a 500% return on allocated capital. Past experience in the United States included a role as a Capital Analyst at LifePlan Financial Group, a broker/dealer in Dayton, Ohio and the Chairmanship of DIAMANTI Ventures, a US financial firm with projects in London and Albania in the areas of real estate investment, financial transfer technology and energy investment.
In addition to Mr. Crawford’s significant business achievements in the United States and Albania, he has also worked tirelessly as a volunteer in both countries and is sought after by American and Albanian media for his opinions on the Albanian economy and business environment.
Tirex Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Bryan Slusarchuk, states, “It is an honor to have Mr. Crawford join Tirex in this role. Mr. Crawford is unique in the advisory he can provide Tirex due to his deep understanding of North American and European Union capital markets combined with his substantial knowledge and experience in Albania. Mr. Crawford’s business ventures in the United States are certainly impressive but in my view, equally so is his ability to act as a pioneer in emerging markets such as Albania by introducing new business concepts and strategies. Evidencing this, amongst other achievements, is his formation and leadership of the Opportunity Bank in Montenegro, his founding of the BDO affiliate in Montenegro and of course, his establishing the first ever licensed securities brokerage in Albania.”
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Certain statements set out in this News Release constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements (i) are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as “expect”, “may”, “could”, “anticipate”, or “will”, and similar expressions; (ii) are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or outcomes to differ materially from those anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements.
On Behalf of Management,
Bryan Slusarchuk, CEO