Lithium Ionic Strengthens Board with Appointment of Brazilian Mining and Governance Executive Clovis Torres

Executive Summary

• Lithium Ionic Corp. announced the appointment of Clovis Torres to its Board of Directors.
• Torres brings over three decades of senior executive, legal, and governance experience across Brazil’s mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors.
• His appointment is intended to strengthen the Board’s independent oversight and Brazilian regulatory expertise as the Company advances its 100%-owned Bandeira Lithium Project toward construction readiness.

Key Details

• Appointee: Clovis Torres
• Role: Board of Directors
• Professional Background: Over 30 years of experience in mining, energy, infrastructure, project finance, M&A, regulatory affairs, compliance, crisis management, and public company governance.
• Vale S.A. Tenure: Served as Executive and General Counsel for 17 years (ending 2018), overseeing legal, governance, compliance, institutional relations, M&A, tax, energy, and HR; also served as Secretary to the Board and led the Crisis and Ethics Committees.
• Board & Leadership Roles: Member of Petrobras S.A. Board; Chairman of BR Distribuidora S.A. Board; Chairman of IBRAM (Brazilian Mining Institute); President and CEO of Furnas Centrais Elétricas S.A.
• Current Roles: Chairman and CEO of Belo Sun Mining Corp.; founding partner of Mello, Torres Advogados (specializing in project finance, M&A, restructuring, mining, power, environmental law, and crisis management).
• Recent Regulatory Achievement: Led Belo Sun Mining to secure the reinstatement and reissuance of the Installation License for its 100%-owned Volta Grande Gold Project in Pará State, Brazil, after a suspension dating back to 2017.
• Education: LL.M. with specialization in International Law, Trade and Finance from Tulane Law School; Law degree from Universidade Católica de Salvador.
• Languages: Fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish; working knowledge of French.
• Honors & Awards: Legislative Merit Medal from the Brazilian Congress; Medal of Honor from the State of Minas Gerais; Latin American and Global General Counsel of the Year awards from the Association of Corporate Counsel and International Law Office.

Notable Quotes

• Blake Hylands, CEO: “We are very pleased to welcome Clovis to Lithium Ionic’s Board. His depth of experience in Brazilian mining, energy, infrastructure, project finance, governance, compliance, and stakeholder engagement is directly relevant to Lithium Ionic as we advance Bandeira toward construction readiness. Clovis recently helped steer Belo Sun through the reinstatement of a key permit for its Volta Grande Gold Project, and that proven ability to navigate Brazil's permitting and regulatory environment will be invaluable as we de-risk and advance Bandeira toward construction.”
• Clovis Torres: “I am pleased to join the Board of Lithium Ionic at an important stage in the Company’s development as Bandeira is a high-quality lithium project located in one of Brazil’s emerging mining districts. I look forward to working with the Board and management team to support the responsible advancement of the Project and to contribute my experience in Brazilian mining, infrastructure, governance, and project development.”