Without explanation from the Australian-owned company, Mike Young has departed the executive suite of Northback. Bradly Johnson is now CEO.
This is three strikes in a row for Young, who departed two previous Australian CEO positions before completing his mission.
In 2021, he was fired as CEO of Vimy Resources, a penny-stock uranium speculator. He then joined solar energy promoter Frontier Energy and eight months later he was out again.
He was recycled from the career slag heap by Australian Gina Rinehart who tasked him with recovering the $600 million she spent buying Grassy Mountain from already notorious Australian coal mine flippers. (Her stake in the clapped out coal mine is reported to now be $1 billion.)
So who is Bradley Johnson? The most pertinent answer is that he was CEO of another Australian-controlled speculator, Cabin Ridge, which is suing Alberta taxpayers for $3.4 billion, claiming the province unlawfully stripped the coal promoter of its future profits in Danielle Smith’s chaotic reversals and re-reversals of coal mining policy. (In out-of-court settlements, Alberta paid out $142.8 million to Atrum Coal and $95 million to Evolve Power).
In a separate action pending before the World Bank, Gina Rinehart is claiming $2 billion from all Canadian taxpayers under an investor-state resolution treaty, claiming she was unfairly denied approval for her Grassy Mountain folly. A joint federal-provincial review panel rejected it because of the liklihood of poisoning surface water and fish with selenium.
Here is Northback’s website bio of Bradley Johnston:
Mr. Johnston is a mine engineering and logistics professional with a 39-year career in the mining and resources industry, including senior roles for Teck Coal Ltd, NYCO Minerals Inc and Cabin Ridge Project Ltd.
As General Manager at Teck Coal Ltd, Mr. Johnston oversaw the logistics chain for six operating mines, from bulk rail delivery to port operations, vessels and through to customers, and developed the logistics strategies to support those efforts. As General Manager and VP at NYCO Minerals Inc, Mr. Johnston was responsible for leading a team of 350 people across three operating sites, directing all site operating and maintenance activities as well as marketing and distribution. Most recently, Mr. Johnston was CEO with Cabin Ridge Project Ltd.
Mr. Johnston has participated on numerous boards and committees, including as Chair of the Board and Chair of the Environmental Health and Safety Committee for Neptune Bulk Terminals (Vancouver). He has served as a subject matter expert for international M&A projects and business development assignments. Mr. Johnston holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc), Mining Engineering from the University of Alberta and attended advanced management training at the University of Chicago.