SALT LAKE CITY, June 10, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Sands Energy Corp. (AMSE) ("AMSE" or the "Company"), an oil sands exploration and development company operating in Utah, is pleased to announce that William H. Champion, an experienced mining industry executive, has been appointed to the Company's board of directors.
Mr. Champion joins the board of directors having most recently spent over eleven years with Rio Tinto PLC, during which time he managed various mining subsidiaries. While at Rio Tinto, Mr. Champion's roles included:
Managing Director of Rio Tinto Coal Australia (2009-2013) where he was responsible for the operations of six open pit and one underground coal mine with annual revenues of approximately $ 4.5 billion, annual earnings exceeding $1 billion and over 4,500 employees,
Managing Director of Rio Tinto Diamonds (2007-2009) with responsibility for three diamond mines producing 35 million carats annually,
President and CEO of Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation (2002-2007), one of the largest open pit mines in the world, with revenue of approximately $2.5 billion and earnings of approximately $1.5 billion.
"I'm delighted to be joining the board of American Sands," said Mr. Champion. "AMSE has an exciting project at Sunnyside and a technology that has the potential to be game-changing in the unconventional heavy oil sector."
"We welcome the addition of a mining veteran of Mr. Champion's caliber to our board of directors," stated William Gibbs, AMSE's Chairman and CEO. "His years of successfully running Utah based mining facilities along with his significant experience managing mines, always with a focus on safety and sustainability, will be instrumental to developing our operations as we turn our focus towards commencing production."
