Graphite industry veteran joins Focus Graphite to accelerate the company’s operational, purification, production, and commercial readiness.
Ottawa, Ontario–(ACN Newswire – November 19, 2025) – Focus Graphite Inc. (TSXV: FMS) (OTCQB: FCSMF) (FSE: FKC0) (“Focus” or the “Company”), a leading developer of high-grade flake graphite deposits and innovator of next-generation lithium-ion battery technology, is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Pearce as Strategic Advisor.
This appointment follows the Company’s November 3, 2025 announcement for the conditional award of $14.1 million from Natural Resources Canada (“NRCan”) under the Global Partnership Initiative (“GPI”). The funding supports the launch of Canada’s first chemical-free electro-thermal graphite purification demonstration plant, a key milestone in advancing the country’s critical minerals production capabilities and supply chain.
Mr. Pearce is a licensed professional engineer, economist, and senior executive with more than thirty (30) years of experience managing, financing, and delivering complex industrial and resource projects across the Americas. He brings deep expertise in the energy transition and critical minerals, combining technical, financial, and operational leadership to build and grow successful companies.
As founder and former Chief Executive Officer of South Star Battery Metals Corp. (“South Star”), Mr. Pearce led the development of one of the first new graphite mines in decades to be permitted, financed, and brought into commercial production. Under his leadership, South Star advanced from exploration to full operation, gaining valuable insight into mine development, local community engagement, and sustainable graphite production in Latin America. He has directed multidisciplinary teams on large-scale mining and industrial projects with capital expenditures exceeding US $1 billion, spanning precious and base metals, industrial minerals, and fertilizers.
A Qualified Person (QP) under Canada’s National Instrument (NI) 43-101 standards, Mr. Pearce brings a rare combination of modern, hands-on graphite production experience and regulatory expertise. His addition to the Focus team enhances the Company’s ability to de-risk and accelerate the transition from development to production while maintaining technical and environmental standards.
“No two graphite deposits are the same,” said Dean Hanisch, CEO of Focus Graphite. “Each deposit has its own characteristics, and we wanted someone who has been through it, who has figured out what works and what doesn’t, and truly understands what it takes to put a graphite mine into production. Richard is one of the few people today who has done this successfully, and his experience will help us avoid costly trial and error and ensure our demonstration plant reflects real world operating conditions.”
In his role as Strategic Advisor, Mr. Pearce will lead the optimization of Focus Graphite’s upstream operations — ensuring that ore processing, flotation, and concentrate recovery are fully aligned with the Company’s downstream purification strategy as it moves into the demonstration phase.
His immediate focus will be overseeing upcoming ore-processing campaigns for the Lac Knife Project, evaluating ore behaviour through grinding, flotation, and concentration to define the optimal equipment selection, process-flow design, and material-handling methods required for larger-scale production. The resulting test work will generate the empirical data needed to maximize graphite recovery and product quality.