After serving the company for more than twenty years, the Guyana Goldfields Company today announced that its longtime Country Manager, Violet Smith, is leaving the company as the position has been declared redundant.

The announcement came today as the company rolled out major changes to its Guyana operations.

In a statement, Guyana Goldfields thanked  Ms. Smith, who is a qualified and trained geologist, for her more than two decades of service.

The company has also announced that all of the Guyana Goldfields’ and Aurora Gold Mine’s activities in Georgetown will be managed out of a single office in the country.

And as part of its major restructuring plan, the Company has promoted 60 Guyanese nationals into senior roles.

Guyanese national, Jermaine Critchlow, will serve as the company’s Sustainability Manager for Guyana; a role previously held by an expatriate.

In addition, Guyanese journalist, Miranda LaRose has been hired as the Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability Coordinator for Guyana.

Guyana Goldfields, in its statement said the Company expects that the changes and the new local leadership will further strengthen its presence in Guyana and its good relationship with the government.

As part of the restructuring, the Company has reduced its expatriate workforce by 14, representing approximately 30% of the total expatriate staff.

Total employment post-restructuring consists of 729 Guyanese nationals (representing approximately 96.4% of the overall workforce) and 27 expatriates.

According to the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Scott Caldwell, “these transformational changes, which are consistent with our Aurora Gold Mine strategic plan established last summer, will strengthen our presence in Guyana and further enhance our operations”.

Meanwhile, former US Ambassador to Guyana and retired Diplomat, Perry Holloway has taken over his responsibility as  the Company’s Senior Vice President, Strategy & Corporate Affairs.

He will be responsible for all activities involving government relations in Guyana, as well as corporate social responsibility.

Guyana Goldfields is a Canadian owned gold mining company that operates in Guyana. It is currently the largest gold mining company in the country.

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