Mirco Wojnarowicz appointed CEO; Christopher Wright named CFO; Kerstin Wedemann continues as Chief Legal & Corporate Officer.
Dirk Harbecke to focus on the Chairman position.
Leadership transition follows successful internal succession planning and growth initiatives.
TORONTO, May 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Rock Tech Lithium Inc. (TSXV: RCK) (OTCQX: RCKTF) (FWB: RJIB) (WKN: A1XF0V) (the "Company" or "Rock Tech") is pleased to announce a change in its executive leadership team, effective immediately. This transition marks a significant step in Rock Tech's strategic evolution as the Company advances toward its goal of becoming a leading supplier of lithium for the European and North American battery supply chains.
Dirk Harbecke (left) hands over CEO responsibilities to Mirco Wojnarowicz (right). (CNW Group/Rock Tech Lithium Inc.)
The Company has appointed Mirco Wojnarowicz as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Christopher Wright as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Kerstin Wedemann will continue as Chief Legal & Corporate Officer. Mirco has been with Rock Tech for three years and Chris was an external hire in 2024 with the intention to transition him into the CFO role in 2025.
Dirk Harbecke, who has served as interim CEO since 2022, will remain Chairman of the Board and as Rock Tech's largest shareholder, also ensure ongoing leadership continuity and strategic oversight. Under his leadership, the Company strengthened its internal talent pool and implemented formal succession planning. This leadership transition reflects that long-term approach to sustainable growth.
"For Rock Tech, these appointments mark an important milestone on the path of our ambitious execution strategy. We are delighted that Mirco has accepted our offer to become CEO. He is an exceptional individual who has already delivered key milestones as VP Business Development over the past 3 years. He is a very inclusive leader with significant global lithium industry experience, a profound understanding of our operations and strategy, as well as the core values of Rock Tech. Mirco is going to be an exceptional CEO and will lead the company into its next phase of growth as a key player in the European and North American battery materials supply chain," said Dirk Harbecke, Chairman of the Board. "Together with Chris as our new CFO, whose extensive experience in mining and finance will bring significant value to Rock Tech, and Kerstin with her strong background in legal and corporate matters continuing in her leadership role, we have the right team in place for Rock Tech's exciting next chapter."
Mirco Wojnarowicz brings over 15 years of international leadership experience in the industrial and energy sectors. Since joining Rock Tech in 2022 as Vice President of Business Development, he has successfully driven strategic initiatives, including securing offtake and feedstock agreements and establishing Rock Tech's lithium joint-venture with Transamine SA in Switzerland. Prior to Rock Tech, he held senior divisional leadership roles at Mitsubishi Power Europe, where he led international teams and oversaw major commercial and risk management programs.
Chris Wright has 15+ years of experience in finance and mining. This most recently includes a role at Liontown Resources where he helped deliver project financing for the Australian based lithium producer. Prior to this, Chris provided corporate advice to mining companies, managed natural resource investments for ultra-high net worth clients, and led assessments of project financing at the Australian Treasury. He holds a Master's degree in Applied Finance from the Australian National University and a Master's degree in Mining Engineering from the University of New South Wales.
"I am honoured to take on the role of CEO at such an exciting and pivotal time in Rock Tech's journey," said Mirco Wojnarowicz, CEO Rock Tech Lithium. "We have a clear mission, a strong team, and a strategy focused on execution to deliver high-quality lithium products and build fully functional, local battery supply chains. I look forward to working with our talented colleagues, the board and partners to unlock the full potential of our business."
The Company has accepted the resignation of Mr. Dirk Harbecke and Mr. Derek Sobel from their interim positions (the latter as CFO) and would like to extend its sincere thanks to both for their services and contributions. Mr. Sobel will continue his work at Rock Tech as the Company's Group Financial Controller.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Dirk Harbecke Chairman
ABOUT ROCK TECH Rock Tech's vision is to supply the electric vehicle and battery industry with sustainable, locally produced lithium, targeting a 100% recycling rate. To ensure resilient supply chains, the company plans to build lithium converters at the doorstep of its customers, beginning with the Company's proposed Lithium Hydroxide Converter in Guben, Brandenburg, Germany. The second Converter is planned to be built in Red Rock, Ontario, Canada. Rock Tech Lithium plans to source raw material from its own Georgia Lake spodumene project in the Thunder Bay Mining District of Ontario, Canada, and procure from other ESG-compliant mines. Ultimately, Rock Tech's goal is to create a closed-loop lithium production system. Rock Tech has gathered one of the strongest teams in the industry to close the most pressing gap in the clean mobility story. The Company has adopted strict environmental, social and governance standards and is developing a proprietary refining process to increase efficiency and sustainability further.
CAUTIONARY NOTE CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws and are referred to herein as "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical fact, which address events, results, outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, words such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "predicts", "believes", "estimates", "intends", "targets", "projects", "forecasts", "may", "will", "should", "would", "could" or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information pertaining to: the intended use of proceeds from the Offering and allocation thereof; listing of the Unit Shares on the TSX-V, including obtaining the final acceptance of the TSX-V; discussions with strategic and financial investors to explore potential opportunities for investments directly at the project level, including the Company's converter projects in Germany and Canada and the Georgia Lake Project; and Rock Tech's opinions, beliefs and expectations regarding the Company's business strategy, development and exploration opportunities and projects, and plans and objectives of management for the Company's operations and properties. Forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions, estimates, expectations and opinions of the Company and, in certain cases, third party experts, that are believed by management of Rock Tech to be reasonable at the time they were made. Forward-looking information is derived utilizing numerous assumptions regarding, among other things: the satisfaction of the conditions to obtain final acceptance of the TSX-V approval for the listing of the Unit Shares on the TSX-V; the supply and demand for, deliveries of, and the level and volatility of prices of, feedstock and intermediate and final lithium products; that all required regulatory approvals and permits can be obtained on the necessary terms in a timely manner; expected growth, performance and business operations; future commodity prices and exchange rates; prospects, growth opportunities and financing available to the Company; general business and economic conditions; the costs and results of exploration, development and operating activities; Rock Tech's ability to procure supplies and other equipment necessary for its business; and the accuracy and reliability of technical data, forecasts, estimates and studies. The foregoing list is not exhaustive of all assumptions which may have been used in developing the forward-looking information. While Rock Tech considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect and should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results. Except as may be required by law, Rock Tech undertakes no obligation and expressly disclaims any responsibility, obligation or undertaking to update or to revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, to reflect any change in Rock Tech's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such information is based. The forward-looking information contained herein is presented for the purposes of assisting readers in understanding Rock Tech's plans, objectives and goals and is not appropriate for any other purposes.
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