This week has seen mining company Lavras Gold appoint Naomi Nemeth to vice president of investor relations and Lexicon Pharmaceuticals name Lisa DeFrancesco as head of IR and corporate strategy.
In her new role, Nemeth is responsible for building and maintaining the IR program targeted at communicating with both institutional and retail investors globally, as well as furthering the development of Lavras Gold’s business and growth strategy.
Nemeth previously worked at HighGold Mining as vice president of IR for the past four years before taking on this new venture. She has worked as an IR professional for more than 25 years, with a specific focus on the mining industry for the past 18 years.
‘On behalf of the board and management of Lavras, I would like to welcome [Naomi] to our team of professionals as we look forward to augmenting our roster of quality shareholders, highlighting our development progress in new investor markets and increasing shareholder value as we progress through our growth strategy,’ says Lavras CEO Michael Durose.
IR Magazine Award winner
Meanwhile, DeFrancesco joins Lexicon Pharmaceuticals bringing 25 years of experience in various IR, finance and corporate communications roles.
She most recently held the position of senior vice president of IR and corporate affairs at Amarin Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the cardiovascular space. Before that, she was senior vice president of IR and corporate affairs for Intercept Pharmaceuticals, another biopharmaceutical company.
DeFrancesco also spent eight years at Allergan (formerly Actavis), during which time the company won the best IR by a CEO or chairman – mid-cap trophy at the IR Magazine Awards – US 2014.
She said at the time: ‘It’s important to change things, and not to be afraid to say no if it doesn’t make sense for the company or for management. I try to ensure I’m always making the best use of management’s time: that way, when I ask for its time to meet with investors, it always says yes.’
