Montage Gold Corp

Martino De Ciccio is CEO of Montage Gold Corp., leading a team focused on building one of West Africa’s premier gold companies. Formerly with Endeavour Mining and La Mancha, he brings deep experience in advancing projects from exploration to production. At Montage Gold Corp., he champions smart capital allocation, win-win partnerships and long-term value for all stakeholders.

Through this article, Martino De Ciccio shares his vision as a leader, driving Montage Gold Corp.’s transformation into a premier African gold producer. His focus on innovation, empowerment and disciplined execution intends to create lasting value for all stakeholders.

At A Glance:

• Leadership Rooted in Purpose – Martino champions win-win partnerships, value creation for all stakeholders and transparent communications. The company’s remarkable progress on the Koné Project, including over two million hours worked without an LTI, reflects a culture built on integrity and commitment to safety and sustainable growth.

• Partnerships that Power Progress – Success at the Koné Project is driven by meaningful collaboration with local communities and government. A shared vision, symbolized by the naming honour of ‘Koné Soman,’ has accelerated construction while fostering deep local trust.

• People at the Heart of Growth – With a team of over 2,300 and more than 90 percent Ivorian, Montage Gold Corp. invests in people through local hiring and hands-on training, further partnering with local institutions to extend skills development into communities. This human-centered approach turns progress into empowerment and builds capacity for long-term success.

• Driving Forward with Purpose and Precision – Securing over US$950 million in financing and achieving critical milestones ahead of schedule, Montage Gold Corp. is on track to deliver its first gold in Q2-2027. A unified focus on sustainability, innovation and value creation drives Montage on its journey of becoming a premier African gold producer.

“I strongly believe in a disciplined capital allocation strategy, sustainable value creation for all stakeholders and applying these principles aims to drive long-term growth at Montage Gold Corp”

Could you describe the pivotal experiences and milestones that have shaped your journey to leading Montage Gold Corp today?

Before joining Montage Gold Corp., I was part of the team at Endeavor Mining, an African gold producer and before that, La Mancha. These experiences have positioned me at the forefront of successful growth stories, underpinned by the rapid advancement of several mines through exploration to production to build a diversified portfolio across West Africa.

The experience gained throughout my career has introduced me to market-leading investors in the international mining community and enabled me to foster strong relations with government agencies and a broad range of stakeholders. Working within high-impact teams has shaped my experience with a blend of corporate finance, capital markets, investor relations and ESG experience across various stages of mining development.

Drawing on that experience, my vision is to rapidly advance Montage Gold Corp. into a premier, multi-asset gold producer with the Koné project in Côte d’Ivoire as our cornerstone asset and with the world-class support of our key financiers and host stakeholders.

The rapid advancement of this project, with construction well advanced and tracking on time and budget, is a testament to the experience my team and I have developed throughout our careers and brought forward to Montage Gold Corp. I strongly believe in a disciplined capital allocation strategy, stakeholder engagement and sustainable value creation and applying these principles aims to drive long-term success at Montage Gold Corp.

With your extensive background in corporate finance, capital markets, investor relations and ESG, how have you blended these disciplines into a unified strategic framework that drives the future of Montage Gold Corp?

Our corporate strategy integrates all elements, including financial discipline, with transparent communication and a strong ESG foundation. We look at all decisions through a lens of capital efficiency and value creation, maximizing value for all stakeholders in a win-win approach. This includes ways to improve the value created for shareholders by maximizing key investment return and dilution metrics, as well as ensuring a clear path to project de-risking in mine development.

We aim to develop a multi-asset, premier African gold producer, with a strong foundation built on world-class financial backing and leading stakeholder engagement. It is important that our goals are sustainable to create value in today’s competitive markets.

As a recognized transformational leader, what personal traits or unconventional approaches do you believe set you apart in a fiercely competitive mining landscape?

The mining landscape is very competitive indeed, and what has set Montage Gold Corp. apart is our discipline in advancing our Koné project, transparent communication and growing reputation for being the partner of choice. We work diligently to build strong relationships with government entities and communities in our host countries. This has been paramount to navigating complex business environments and leading to continued success: creating a strong foundation of trust backed by hard work and real results.

In just a little over a year since taking over the office of CEO, we have rapidly transformed the Koné project and rapidly progressed through a significant number of de-risking milestones, which have been recognized. We are now one of the largest gold projects in construction globally and we have achieved this with over two million lost-time injury-free to date. Our commitment to health and safety is at the forefront of our strategy.

I am focused on ensuring that all of the elements are coming together in sync and that we are creating value for all stakeholders, including our host communities, local governments, employees and shareholders.

Innovation is clearly at the heart of your strategy. Can you share how you harness cutting-edge technologies, pioneering exploration methods and sustainable practices to generate distinct value for Montage Gold Corp?

Our rapid progress during the construction of the Koné Project is a testament to our preparation, innovation and execution. Our team of over 2,300 contractors and employees has accelerated the project's de-risking. The concrete pouring of the ring beams for the Carbon-in-Leach (CIL) tanks occurred ahead of schedule and reflects another important milestone in the project’s development.

Our construction team continues to utilize the latest techniques to further de-risk the project, with enhancements incorporated to ensure the highest sustainability standards, operating performance and opportunity to create value for all stakeholders.

We are innovative in our approach to developing our team and our surrounding communities for long-term sustainability and opportunities. We have provided free literacy training to over 500 people from our impacted communities. More people were trained in technical areas, including masonry and heavy equipment operation, providing opportunities for individuals participating in the training to contribute to the construction of our project. Montage Gold Corp. now employs over 2,300 people and over 90 percent of this workforce is from Côte d’Ivoire, reflecting the company's strong commitment to local employment.

How do you foster a culture of collaboration within your teams and with industry partners and how does this approach drive innovation and overall success at Montage Gold Corp?

Our ability to rapidly advance the project is driven by the strong partnerships we have built, based on a win-win approach, with local stakeholders, strategic investors, financiers, suppliers and contractors. The dedication of our experienced management team and the relationships they continue to foster with all our partners and stakeholders are a direct reflection of this success.

As one of the largest gold projects in construction worldwide, we know that success comes from a culture of teamwork and collaboration. Our success in securing over US$950M of financing in March 2025, all necessary permits to advance construction of our project, significant exploration success and the culmination of a launch of construction in late 2024, alongside continued rapid success and de-risking of the project, is again a testament to the collaborative culture and teamwork of this team to be able to advance through a significant number of de-risking milestones in parallel and in sequence. This is evidenced by our rapid rate of progress at Koné, where we remain on time and on budget for first gold production in Q2 of 2027.

In what ways have you integrated stakeholder and community feedback into the strategic decisions at Montage Gold Corp. and how does this focus on engagement reflect your personal leadership philosophy?

We have worked closely with the greater community of government officials and also the local community directly impacted by our project since day one. In our groundbreaking ceremony in December 2024, over 2,000 people were in attendance, including a strong presence from government officials and local communities, demonstrating their support for the project.

At the ceremony, Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, Côte d’Ivoire’s Mines, Petroleum and Energy Minister, reiterated the country’s support for the mining sector and the Koné project in particular, outlining the significant social and economic benefits to all stakeholders. I was honored to be accepted and named Koné Soman by our local communities during the ceremony, named so after one of the founding ancestors of our local community, evidencing the positive impact our team has made towards sustainable value creation.

Our local training programs and community relations provide empowerment and growth opportunities in a win-win strategy for all stakeholders.

What is the one fundamental piece of advice you would offer to fellow leaders aiming to drive strategic innovation and sustainable growth in this industry?

We have been focused and driven in our strategy to advance Koné on all fronts since I joined the company a little over a year ago. The company has undergone a remarkable transformation, not only in terms of our progress but also in terms of our international recognition.

The dedication of the team we have assembled, alongside the strong local relationships with partners, contractors, communities and our host government, coupled with the strong support of our financiers and shareholders, has enabled us to rapidly progress the project.