Lahontan Gold Corp. has appointed Billy Choi as its new chief financial officer, succeeding John McNeice, as the company prepares its Nevada gold and silver assets for potential production.

Choi is expected to assume full CFO responsibilities in October following a transition period. He brings public-company finance and capital markets experience to Lahontan, having most recently served as vice president of finance at Lithium Royalty Corp., where he helped guide the company through its initial public offering and subsequent acquisition by Altius Minerals.

The executive transition coincides with preparations to restart operations at Lahontan’s flagship Santa Fe Mine project. The past-producing open-pit and heap-leach operation yielded 359,202 ounces of gold and 702,067 ounces of silver between 1988 and 1995.

Lahontan is currently advancing mine permitting at Santa Fe with the objective of commencing construction in 2027. The company is also completing an updated preliminary economic assessment for the asset, which will incorporate the first analysis of mining and processing sulfide resources alongside the existing oxide inventory.

An updated mineral resource estimate published in August 2026 outlined 1,195,000 indicated gold equivalent ounces at a grade of 0.78 g/t and 1,190,000 inferred gold equivalent ounces at 0.61 g/t. That compares with the maiden mineral resource estimate from January 2023, which reported 1,112,000 indicated gold equivalent ounces at 1.14 g/t and 544,000 inferred gold equivalent ounces at 1.00 g/t.

Lahontan is managing the leadership handover while advancing the technical studies required to support the targeted 2027 production restart at Santa Fe.

We are delighted to welcome Billy Choi as our new, full-time, CFO. As we advance permitting for the Santa Fe Mine and target a restart of production in 2027, we are building a financial management team with the operations experience required to take the Company into its next phase of growth. Billy has already begun working for the Company, initiating the transfer of CFO responsibilities and reporting protocols to his management. We of course extend our thanks to John McNeice for his service to the Company since its inception and for assisting through the transition period. We wish all the best going forward.

— Kimberly Ann, Founder, Executive Chair, CEO and President

Read the full announcement: Lahontan Announces CFO Transition on Anticipation of Santa Fe Mine Development