Here is the inspiring journey of John Miniotis, the President and CEO of AbraSilver Resource Corp. With his extensive experience of over 18 years in the mining industry, he is now spearheading AbraSilver into an industry-leading exploration company and aiming to continue to take the company to new heights. Mr. Miniotis’ background has primarily focused on mergers & acquisitions, equity capital markets, investor relations and corporate finance, and he has worked in a wide variety of companies in the mining industry including Lundin Mining, AuRico Metals, Aethon Minerals and Barrick Gold. Mr. Miniotis holds the title of Certified Financial Analyst and graduated with honours from the University of Toronto with a degree in business administration.
Achievements & Accomplishments Along the Way
With his extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, Mr. Miniotis became CEO of AbraSilver in December 2019 through the merger of Aethon Minerals. The merger was an excellent opportunity to create a company focused on a world-class silver and gold project with excellent exploration upside potential. Since the merger, AbraSilver has established a proven track record of consistently delivering drill results that are among the best in the industry, which has allowed the company to experience rapid growth.
Prior to Aethon Minerals, he was the vice president of corporate development at AuRico Metals where Mr. Miniotis was instrumental in the company’s acquisition by Centerra Gold which purchased AuRico in January 2018 for $310 million in cash.
Mr. Miniotis also played a crucial part in Lundin Mining’s execution of many acquisitions totalling more than $2 billion, which helped the business grow in an accretive manner. The driven leader is constantly searching for fresh possibilities to generate value and increase shareholder value.
AbraSilver in a Glance
AbraSilver is an advanced-stage exploration company focused on rapidly advancing its 100%-owned Diablillos silver-gold project in the mining-friendly Salta province of Argentina. The business is run by a seasoned management team, and Mr. Eric Sprott is one of its long-standing, devoted stockholders. The silver-gold project hosts Measured and Indicated resources of 109 million ounces of silver and 1.3 million ounces of gold, with significant further upside potential based on recent exploration success. The company also holds a portfolio of copper-gold properties, including the La Coipita copper-gold project, which is an earlier-stage exploration company. The company is publicly traded, under the ticker “ABRA” on the TSX-Venture and “ABBRF” in the United States.
John’s Unique Definition of Success
Mr. Miniotis recognizes that success can mean many different things to different people, but for him, success can be defined as the act of turning a vision into reality, by means of perseverance and in spite of failure.
A Piece of Advice by John Miniotis to Aspiring Entrepreneurs
“Never give up! If you are passionate about realizing your dream or entrepreneurial vision, then it’s just a matter of time, hard work, and —most importantly—resiliency before that vision becomes reality.”
The Future Outlook
AbraSilver’s objective is to see the Diablillos project develop into a top-tier producing silver-gold mine over the course of the next five years. The stockholders, the local communities, and the provincial and federal governments of Argentina will all greatly gain from this. The company will also keep looking for new opportunities to expand its business in nations with favourable mining laws.
Before signing off, Mr. Miniotis reflected on the lessons learned from his experiences in the business world:
“Life has taught me that success is not always linear, therefore learn from your failures and re-calibrate your approach. It also does not occur in a vacuum – surround yourself with the right people and most importantly, don’t forget to enjoy the journey!”