Cabral Gold Appoints Jon Gilligan as Non-Executive Chair: What This Means for Cuiú Cuiú and Investors

SEO Meta Description: Cabral Gold Appoints Jon Gilligan as Non-Executive Chair in a key leadership step as the company advances Phase 1 heap leach construction at its Cuiú Cuiú gold district in Brazil and targets initial production later in 2026.

Cabral Gold Inc., a publicly listed junior gold company, has announced an important change at the top of its boardroom: Dr. Jon Gilligan has been appointed Non-Executive Chair, effective immediately. The appointment arrives at a very strategic time—right as Cabral pushes forward with the construction of its Phase 1 heap leach operation and aims for initial gold production later in 2026.

This article rewrites and expands the original announcement in a detailed, reader-friendly way. You’ll learn who Jon Gilligan is, why his appointment matters, what a non-executive chair actually does, and how Cabral’s flagship Cuiú Cuiú project fits into the bigger story of Brazil’s historic Tapajós gold region.

Quick Highlights of the Announcement

• Appointment: Dr. Jon Gilligan is now Cabral Gold’s Non-Executive Chair, effective immediately.
• Timing: The company says Phase 1 heap leach construction is underway and initial production is expected later in 2026.
• Background: Gilligan has more than 40 years of mining experience and is President, CEO & Director of Liberty Gold.
• Asset focus: Cabral holds a 100% interest in the Cuiú Cuiú gold district in Pará State, northern Brazil.

What Was Announced: A Leadership Shift at a Critical Moment

In the release dated January 21, 2026, Cabral Gold said it had appointed Jon Gilligan as Non-Executive Chair. The company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: CBR) and also trades in the U.S. on OTCQX (OTCQX: CBGZF).

Cabral’s President and CEO, Alan Carter, described Gilligan as someone who has already had a “significant impact” since joining the board in August 2023. One standout contribution mentioned was the formation of a Technical Committee, which helped guide decisions tied to Cabral’s Phase 1 heap leach development—an operation that the company says is now under construction.

From the company’s perspective, the timing isn’t random. Moving from planning into building and then into operating is one of the hardest transitions a mining company can face. That’s why the role of chair—especially one with deep mine-building and heap leach experience—can matter so much.

Why “Effective Immediately” Matters

When a company says an appointment is effective immediately, it usually signals urgency and focus. Cabral is telling the market it wants strong oversight right now, not “someday,” as construction advances and the organization prepares for first production.

Who Is Dr. Jon Gilligan? Experience That Matches Cabral’s Next Chapter

Cabral described Dr. Jon Gilligan as a mining executive with more than 40 years of experience and a PhD in Economic Geology (gold) from the University of Southampton (UK). That blend—academic training in gold geology plus decades in real-world mining—often appeals to boards that want both strong technical judgment and practical delivery skills.

Current Role: Liberty Gold

According to Cabral, Gilligan is currently the President, CEO & Director of Liberty Gold, where he is working on the Black Pine project in Idaho, USA—described as a large-scale open-pit heap leach gold development.

Past Senior Roles

The release also notes he previously held senior positions with Torex Gold, SSR Mining, and BHP. This matters because it shows he has worked across different corporate cultures—mid-tier producers, growth-focused companies, and a major global miner.

Operational Track Record Across the Americas and Beyond

Cabral highlighted several major projects and mines where Gilligan has experience, including open-pit and heap leach operations and large mine expansions in multiple countries. Among examples named: Marigold (Nevada), Chinchillas (Argentina), Olympic Dam expansion (Australia), and the Escondida and Escondida Norte mines (Chile).

In plain terms: this is a leader who has seen what works—and what can go wrong—when a project moves from drilling and studies into earthworks, construction, commissioning, and full operations.

What Is a Non-Executive Chair? A Simple Explanation

A Non-Executive Chair is typically the leader of the board of directors who is not part of the company’s day-to-day management team. In many public companies, the Chair helps ensure:

• Strong governance: the board asks tough questions and protects shareholder interests
• Clear oversight: strategy and risk are monitored, not ignored
• Better decision-making: management gets support, but also accountability
• Healthy board culture: meetings are organized, focused, and productive

Cabral’s release strongly hints that Gilligan will emphasize safety, disciplined execution, governance, and community engagement—all areas that become even more important when construction activities are active and the company is aiming for production.

Phase 1 Heap Leach: Why This Project Stage Is So Important

Cabral stated that its Phase 1 heap leach operation is “under construction,” and the company sees a path to initial production later in 2026.

For readers who don’t follow mining closely, a heap leach operation is a method often used to recover gold from certain ore types. In broad terms, ore is placed on a pad and a leaching solution is used to dissolve the gold so it can be recovered. (Exact chemistry and engineering details vary widely by project.)

Why Phase 1 Matters Even If It’s Not the “Final Form”

In many mining stories, Phase 1 is about proving you can operate reliably and safely while generating early cash flow and learning more about the deposit. It can also help fund continued exploration, upgrades, and later expansion—if results and economics support it.

Construction + First Production = Peak Execution Risk

Mining projects often face their toughest challenges during the transition from plan to reality. Budgets, schedules, safety systems, supply chains, and local relationships all get tested at once. That context helps explain why Cabral would highlight technical oversight and why the board may want a Chair with deep operations and construction background.

Gilligan’s Message: Momentum, Safety, and Community

In the announcement, Gilligan said he was honored to take the role at an “important moment” for the company. He pointed to capable technical and construction teams in Brazil and said processes were in place that were already translating into on-the-ground progress.

He also emphasized priorities that tend to matter most during construction and early operations:

• Safety: protecting workers and communities
• Disciplined execution: doing the basics well, every day
• Strong governance: transparency and responsible oversight
• Community engagement: building trust with local stakeholders

Finally, Gilligan linked operations to exploration, stating the goal is not just to build Phase 1 but also to support the exploration work needed to unlock the broader “district-scale” opportunity at Cuiú Cuiú.

About Cabral Gold and the Cuiú Cuiú Gold District

Cabral Gold describes itself as a junior resource company focused on identifying, exploring, and developing mineral properties, with its main focus on gold in Brazil. The company states it holds a 100% interest in the Cuiú Cuiú gold district in the Tapajós region of Pará State in northern Brazil.

Resources: What Cabral Reports Today

The release includes detailed resource figures for Cuiú Cuiú and references compliance with NI 43-101, a Canadian standard that sets rules for how mineral resource information is publicly reported.

Cabral reports:

• Indicated resources (fresh basement): 12.29 Mt at 1.14 g/t gold (450,200 oz)
• Indicated resources (oxide): 13.56 Mt at 0.50 g/t gold (216,182 oz)
• Inferred resources (fresh basement): 13.63 Mt at 1.04 g/t gold (455,100 oz)
• Inferred resources (oxide): 6.4 Mt at 0.34 g/t gold (70,569 oz)

Cabral also cites the dates of technical reports supporting different parts of these estimates, including reports dated October 12, 2022, October 21, 2024, and an updated PFS dated July 29, 2025.

Why Tapajós Matters: A Region With Major Gold History

Cabral notes that the broader Tapajós Gold Province hosted Brazil’s largest historical gold rush, and the release attributes historical placer production estimates to Brazil’s National Mining Agency (ANM). It also states Cuiú Cuiú was a major center of placer workings and had significant historical placer output.

For investors and industry watchers, a region with known historical production can be meaningful because it suggests the system has generated a lot of gold over time. That said, modern project value still depends on drilling results, metallurgy, economics, permitting, and execution.

Why This Appointment Could Matter to Markets

Leadership announcements can sometimes feel like “corporate housekeeping,” but this one is closely tied to a real business milestone: building a mine and targeting first production. Based on Cabral’s own wording, Gilligan has already influenced key technical governance since joining the board in 2023, and now he will lead the board as Chair.

1) Stronger Oversight During Construction

Construction is where timelines and budgets can slip if risks aren’t actively managed. A Chair with global mine-building experience can help the board ask sharper questions about schedule logic, contingency planning, contractor performance, and safety systems.

2) Better Alignment Between Operations and Exploration

Gilligan explicitly connects operational excellence with ongoing exploration aimed at a “district-scale” outcome. That’s important because companies can sometimes over-focus on building the first operation and under-invest in the exploration that could unlock bigger value later.

3) Credibility With Technical Stakeholders

When a company discusses technical committees, NI 43-101 reporting, and multi-stage development plans, technical credibility matters. A Chair who understands both geology and mine operations can help ensure communication stays accurate, grounded, and realistic.

Governance and Accountability: What Shareholders Usually Want to See

Cabral’s release repeatedly points to themes that public-market investors often care about:

• Clear leadership roles: CEO runs the business; Chair leads the board
• Board-level technical insight: supports better risk decisions
• Safety culture: reduces operational and reputational risk
• Community engagement: improves long-term project stability

Gilligan’s statement calls out governance and community engagement directly, which signals these issues are not an afterthought—they’re positioned as core priorities while Cabral advances Phase 1 and continues regional exploration.

Project Development Context: The “Build-Then-Operate” Test

In mining, the shift from “we have a deposit” to “we can run a safe, steady operation” is a big leap. This is the period where teams must coordinate engineering, procurement, construction, environmental management, and local communications—often all at the same time.

Cabral’s CEO indicated that the company intends to build on recent achievements, move toward initial production later in 2026, and continue defining the broader Cuiú Cuiú district. The appointment of a seasoned executive as Chair fits with that direction because it strengthens the board’s ability to guide management through a complicated phase.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What did Cabral Gold announce on January 21, 2026?

Cabral Gold announced that Dr. Jon Gilligan was appointed as the company’s Non-Executive Chair, effective immediately.

2) Who is Jon Gilligan?

Cabral states that Dr. Jon Gilligan has over 40 years of mining industry experience, holds a PhD in Economic Geology (gold), and is currently President, CEO & Director of Liberty Gold.

3) What is a Non-Executive Chair?

A Non-Executive Chair typically leads the board of directors but is not part of day-to-day company management. The Chair focuses on governance, oversight, and helping the board guide strategy and risk management.

4) What is Cabral Gold’s main project?

Cabral’s main focus is the Cuiú Cuiú gold district in the Tapajós region of Pará State, northern Brazil, where the company reports a 100% interest.

5) What is the Phase 1 heap leach operation?

Cabral describes Phase 1 as a heap leach gold operation that is under construction, with a stated goal of achieving initial production later in 2026.

6) Why does this leadership appointment matter?

The appointment matters because Cabral is in an execution-heavy stage—construction and preparation for first production—where strong board oversight, safety focus, and disciplined decision-making can make a big difference.

7) Where can I verify the original announcement?

You can confirm the details in the official Newsfile press release from Cabral Gold Inc.

Conclusion: A Governance Upgrade as Cabral Targets Production

Cabral Gold Appoints Jon Gilligan as Non-Executive Chair at a time when the company is moving from planning into building—one of the most demanding phases in the life of a mining company. With Phase 1 heap leach construction advancing and initial production targeted for later in 2026, Cabral appears to be strengthening its board leadership to match the scale and complexity of the moment.

If Cabral delivers on its construction milestones while maintaining safety, governance, and community trust—priorities Gilligan highlighted—the company could be better positioned to pursue both near-term production goals and longer-term district-scale exploration upside in the Cuiú Cuiú gold district.

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