IAMGOLD has appointed an executive project director to oversee construction of its Côté gold mine in Northeastern Ontario.

The company announced that it has selected Jerzy Orzechowski for the role.

Orzechowski has more than 40 years’ experience in project development, management, engineering, construction and strategic planning on a variety of large capital projects. He was most recently responsible for project organization, structuring and execution of the Timok copper project in Serbia. He also served as Project Director, Africa for Kinross Gold, as well as Project Director for SNC Lavalin on the Aluminum Smelter Complex in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

"Jerzy's appointment is effective immediately and follows his full review of the project,” said Gordon Stothart, President and Chief Executive Officer of IAMGOLD. “His wealth of experience with large projects will be invaluable in bringing Côté from construction to production."

IAMGOLD also announced that CFO and executive vice-president Daniella Dimitrov has taken on an expanded role on the senior management team, assuming responsibility for strategy and corporate development.

Dimitrov joined IMAGOLD in March 2021, after serving as Partner, Investment Banking at Sprott Capital Partners, President and CEO of Orvana Minerals, Executive Vice Chair of Baffinland Iron and COO of Dundee Securities. She holds a Global Executive M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management and Schulich School of Business as well as a law degree from the University of Windsor.

The Côté gold mine is a $1.3-billion project located in Gogama, which is about halfway between Sudbury and Timmins. The project is currently under construction and is expected to be complete in mid-2023.

Last December, IAMGOLD named Wood PLC, a Toronto engineering and consulting company, to manage the construction project. Work on the project is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs during construction and 450 during operations.

When operational, the mine itself is forecasted to produce around 367,000 ounces of gold annually over its expected 18-year life. The deposit itself contains an estimated gold reserve of more than 7 million ounces, but IAMGOLD continues to explore.