Founders
We are a team of experts from the mining sector of Armenia, Canada, and the UK. Our vision is to contribute to the sustainable and competitive growth of Armenia's mining sector while addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by the global energy transition.
We are a team of experts from the mining sector of Armenia, Canada, and the UK. Our vision is to contribute to the sustainable and competitive growth of Armenia's mining sector while addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by the global energy transition.
Rafi
Baghdjian
Co-Founder
Rafi Baghdjian was an executive at Shell for 35 years,
covering the technical, commercial and leadership
aspects of the energy business during 10 assignments
worldwide, until 2017.
Rafi is currently advisor to several foundations and
institutions, including the Centre for Scientific
Innovation and Education Foundation in Armenia, the
Aznavour Foundation and the Armenian
Bioinformatics Institute.
Rafi graduated as a chemical engineer from Ecole
Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Lille (France), in
1981.
Rafi lectures around the world using 45 Learnings
based on some 60 real life stories and events from his
35 years at Shell, covering Cultural Navigation, Deal
Making and Strategic Leadership.
Terence
Orstlan
Co-Founder
Terence is an international advisor to TSO Resource
Strategies & Policies. TSO strategic research is
focused on public and private mining companies, all
metals, and the fertilizers sector.
The advisory dialogue is with multinational mining
corporations, the financial sector, resource
organizations, and with the host governments for
their adaptation of optimum and competitive
policies.
Terence has been an international business and
finance lecturer at MBA level and for mineral
economics and feasibility studies for mining
engineering postgraduate students in Canada. He
has served on various private and public boards and
has been involved with multiple mining operations
and projects on all continents.
Terence
Orstlan
Co-Founder
Vicken
Aprahamian
Co-Founder
Vicken comes from the copper and precious metals
refining and manufacturing industry. He has over 30
years of experience and has worked for a number of
metallurgical facilities in Africa, Europe and North
America. He currently holds the position of Senior
Process Metallurgist at the Royal Canadian Mint in
Ottawa, Canada.
He brings hydro- and pyrometallurgy expertise and his strengths are both in
process research and metallurgical operations. He
has been involved in several novel metals refining
projects from laboratory inception to full operation.
As part of his activities he often mentors younger
engineers and co-op students and well versed in
health and safety practices.
He holds a bachelors degree in chemistry from
Concordia University as well as a masters in
metallurgical engineering from McGill University. He
regularly volunteers with metallurgical societies in
Canada and has lectured on metals refining in
schools and universities.
Rene
Carapetian
Co-Founder
Rene Carapetian is a Principal Mining Engineer, B.Sc.,
P. Eng. from Toronto, Canada. With over three
decades of international experience in surface
mining operations and projects,
Rene specialises in pit optimisation, design and
production scheduling, mining operation
improvement, mine cost estimation and financial
analysis, project evaluation, and provides relevant
training to mine technical personnel.
He has also
been involved in mining arbitration cases. He is a
skilled technical problem solver who excels at
immersing himself in new projects, gathering and
analysing the necessary information and data, and
providing timely solutions for potential issues.
Rene
Carapetian
Co-Founder
Lori
Manoukian
Co-Founder
Lori Manoukian holds a BSc Hons in Earth Sciences
from Dalhousie University, a MSc in Environmental
Geochemistry from Queen’s University and holds a PhD in Mining and Materials Engineering from McGill University is a PhD
candidate in Mining and Materials Engineering at
McGill University. The focus of her PhD is on nutrient
recovery from water treatment processes using
microorganisms, as well as material
characterization.
Her master’s thesis allowed for a comprehensive
geochemical characterization of waters and co-existing minerals at Barrick Gold Corporation mines.
Lori has industrial experience having worked as a
geochemist at Golder Associates Ltd. and as an
environmental metallurgist at AuTec Innovative
Extractive Solutions.
Lori is passionate about environmental management
during the mining process, water treatment and
water management.
Sevan
Bedrossian
Co-Founder
Sevan Bedrossian is a process specialist in
hydrometallurgy and the chief engineer for
hydrometallurgical technology development at
Hatch Ltd. He has over 22 years’ experience in
metallurgical engineering and consulting.
His
primary focus area is on base metals and critical
minerals refining, battery materials production and
step change innovations to improve the energy,
water and productivity signatures of metallurgical
processes.
Prior to taking his current role, Sevan led the HighEfficiency Mining program, at the National Research
Council Canada for the Government of Canada
(2015-2021).
Sevan received his BASc in Chemical Engineering
from Iran University of Science & Technology in
1997and his MASc in Chemical and Biological
Engineering from the University of British Columbia,
Canada in 2004.
Sevan
Bedrossian
Co-Founder
