J. Kelly Cluer
Director
Mr. Cluer has over 30 years of mineral exploration experience, from grassroots project generation through to discovery, resource delineation and mine development. He has also held numerous high-level management positions throughout his career, leading teams from a wide array of backgrounds and disciplines. Mr. Cluer spent the last decade of his career in senior leadership positions at Kinross Gold Corp., one of the top global gold producers. In his latest role as Senior Director of Geosciences (Global), Mr. Cluer oversaw the exploration strategy for projects around the world, developing innovative campaigns including leading-edge geophysical surveys, talent management and acquisition, and claim-staking large greenfield targets based on new concepts. He was also instrumental in identifying new global regions for investment, through both generative exploration and M&A.
Mr. Cluer also acted as Exploration Director (North America) for Kinross from 2013 to 2019, after being brought on to lead aggressive greenfield and brownfield initiatives, developing and guiding teams throughout Nevada. Major achievements included cementing Kinross as a major player in the Carlin-type gold space, with a robust pipeline of projects from early-stage prospects through to advanced development and production. He also established the Reno, NV office for greenfield exploration and grew it into one of the most active teams in the Western USA. Among several major discoveries to his credit, Mr. Cluer was notably a co-discoverer of the high-grade Ren gold deposit under 800 meters of cover on the Carlin Trend in the 1990s; that deposit is now being mined by Nevada Gold Mines.
Mr. Cluer also found tremendous success in Mongolia, notably as the Founder, Co-Owner and Director of Exploration for Altan Rio Minerals from 2006 to 2013. He was a recipient of the Polar Star Award from the President of Mongolia for his achievements generating long-term investments and national professional development initiatives. He also shared the “Honored Geologist of Mongolia” award with the Gatsuurt deposit discovery team in 2004; in his role as Exploration Manager for Centerra Gold Mongolia, he was responsible for all aspects of exploration, land management, personnel administration, and contract negotiations. He managed final reserve drilling of the Boroo deposit which resulted in additional gold reserves and new discoveries in the district, in addition to exploration and resource drilling at the Gatsuurt deposit leading to a reportable gold resource in excess of 2.0 Moz within a much larger mineralized footprint.
Mr. Cluer is a lifetime member and past President of the Geological Society of Nevada. In addition to his many personal achievements, he has worked tirelessly to establish, train and mentor top-level exploration teams from diverse cultural backgrounds who have gone on to realize great success in their own right. Mr. Cluer is passionate about investing in – and developing – the next generation of explorers and industry leaders.