en.Wedoany.com Reported - US-based Nova Minerals Corp (ASX:NVA, NYSE-A:NVA, FRA:QM30) has appointed former JP Morgan metals and mining professional Joshua Girnun to its board to advance its Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals Project in Alaska and its US-focused critical minerals strategy.
Girnun's appointment takes effect from July 1, 2026, as Nova enters a critical execution phase following its redomiciliation from Australia to the US. The company stated that the move aims to better align its corporate structure with its predominantly US-based asset base, broaden access to US government and institutional capital, and support potential index inclusion.
Girnun brings experience in institutional finance, risk underwriting, and technical resources to Nova's board. At JP Morgan Chase & Co, he co-founded a client-facing risk underwriting team covering metals and mining, energy, renewable energy, industrials, oil and gas, and agriculture. He also helped develop internal risk standards for the company's natural resources sector and worked on corporate loans, project finance, trade finance, and capital market transactions.
Girnun's background is expected to support the company in advancing the Estelle project through feasibility studies, evaluating new project opportunities, and preparing for near-term production of military-grade antimony trisulfide.
Nova is advancing the Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals Project in Alaska, which it describes as one of the world's largest undeveloped gold deposits and a potential domestic source of antimony supply for the US. The company's antimony strategy is supported by a $43.4 million grant from the US Department of Defense under the Defense Production Act, with Nova targeting domestic antimony supply chain development and production by late 2026/2027.
CEO Christopher Gerteisen said Girnun's experience evaluating resource transactions at the institutional level will help Nova transition from development to production. Gerteisen stated: "We believe Josh's experience evaluating resource transactions at the highest institutional finance level will assist the company in executing its strategy of continuously developing its assets, and his decision to join the board reflects a level of confidence in the company's assets and development trajectory."
Girnun described Estelle as "one of the most important undeveloped gold and critical mineral assets in North America," noting its location within a mature mineral belt containing 220 million ounces of gold resources, as well as the $43.4 million US government commitment supporting Nova's antimony program.
The Estelle project features two defined multi-million-ounce gold resources and over 20 prospective targets along a 35-kilometer mineralized trend within Alaska's Tintina Gold Belt, an area that includes major gold mines and discoveries such as Kinross Gold's Fort Knox Gold Mine.
