Commerce Resources Appoints Nicholas Holthouse as CEO
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Released
Announcement PDF
ASX ANNOUNCEMENT – 3 June 2025
ASX: MRZ
COMMERCE TRANSACTION UPDATE
Commerce Resources Appoints Highly Experienced Rare Earths
Executive Nicholas Holthouse as President & CEO
Mont Royal Resources Ltd (“Mont Royal” or “the Company”) (ASX: MRZ) is pleased to advise that, further to
its ASX announcement of 10 April 2025 regarding the planned merger with Commerce Resources Corp.
(“Commerce”) (TSXV: CCE, FSE: D7H0, OTCQX: CMRZF ) (“Proposed Transaction”), Commerce has announced
the appointment of highly experienced international mining executive Mr. Nicholas Holthouse as President &
Chief Executive Officer, effective from 1 June 2025.
Following completion of the proposed merger with Mont Royal – which is scheduled to be completed by late
July – Mr. Holthouse will also be appointed as Managing Director of the merged entity and will be located in
Montreal, Quebec. The Transaction between Mont Royal and Commerce will create an ASX and TSX-V listed,
Québec-focused, critical minerals developer and exploration company with a strong focus on rare earths,
fluorspar, niobium and lithium exploration (“Merged Group”). For more information on the transaction, refer
to Mont Royal’s announcement of 10 April 2025.
Mr. Holthouse is a mining engineer and accomplished resource industry executive with 36 years of experience
in senior corporate, operational and project management roles, with the past seven years focused on the
international rare earths industry.
He has most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Meteoric Resources Limited (ASX: MEI), which is
developing the Caldeira Rare Earth Project in Brazil building and leading the company through the resource
development and Scoping and Pre-Feasibility Study stages with significant share price appreciation over his
tenure. Mr Holthouse was previously also Chief Operating Officer of Hastings Technology Metals (ASX: HAS),
which is currently developing the Yangibana Rare Earth Project in Western Australia delivering an integrated
Bankable Feasibility Study selling Mixed Rare Earth Carbonate into Europe
With Meteoric, Mr. Holthouse oversaw the delineation of a large-scale rare earth Mineral Resource Estimate
at the Caldeira Project, while also progressing metallurgical testwork, engineering studies, project financing,
environmental approvals and REE product off-takes into North America. During his tenure, he built a focused
project development team from scratch and oversaw all aspects of the advancement of one of the premier
new rare earth projects globally.
His extensive rare earth expertise and company building expertise will be invaluable to Commerce as it
continues to advance its flagship Ashram Rare Earths & Fluorspar Project in Canada towards development,
while also progressing exploration programs across the merged entity’s highly prospective niobium, lithium,
copper and gold assets.
In addition to his more recent roles in the global rare earths sector, Mr. Holthouse has also held senior roles
across a range of jurisdictions and commodities with companies including P.T. Merdeka Copper, Finders
Resources, CSA Global, Rusina Mining/European Nickel PLC, Harmony Gold and Merdeka.
For more information on the appointment of Mr. Holthouse refer to Commerce Resources announcement
dated 1 June 2025 and Commerce’s website (www.commerceresources.com.au) for its News Release dated 1st
June 2025.
Mont Royal Resources
Ltd
3467-3395-5385v1
ACN: 625 237 658
Level 8, 2 Bligh Street
Sydney NSW 2000
E: info@montroyalres.com
www.montroyalres.com
ASX: MRZ
For and on behalf of the Board
ENDS.
Shaun Menezes | Company Secretary
For Further Information:
Nicholas Read
Peter Ruse
Investor and Media Relations
Executive Director
+61 419 929 046
info@montroyalres.com
nicholas@readcorporate.com.au
About Mont Royal Resources
Mont Royal Resources Limited (ASX: MRZ) is an Australian company that owns 75% of Northern Lights Minerals
536km2 tenement package located in the Upper Eastmain Greenstone belt. The projects are located in the
emerging James Bay area, a Tier-1 mining jurisdiction of Quebec, Canada, and are prospective for lithium,
precious (Gold, Silver) and base metals mineralisation (Copper, Nickel).
For further information regarding Mont Royal Resources Limited, please visit the ASX platform (ASX: MRZ) or
the Mont Royal’s website www.montroyalres.com
About Commerce Resources
Commerce Resources Corp. is a junior mineral resource company focused on the development of the Ashram
Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit located within their Eldor Property, in northern Quebec, Canada. The Ashram
Deposit is characterized by simple rare earth (monazite, bastnaesite, xenotime) and gangue (carbonates)
mineralogy, a large tonnage resource at favourable grade, and has demonstrated the production of high-grade
(more than 30 – 45% TREO) mineral concentrates at high recovery (more than 60 – 75%) in line with active
global producers.
The Ashram Deposit also has a fluorspar component which makes it one of the largest potential sources of
fluorspar in the world and could be a long-term supplier to the met-spar and acid-spar markets. Commerce is
positioning itself to be one of the lowest cost rare earth producers globally, with a specific focus on being a
long-term supplier of mixed rare earth carbonate and/or NdPr oxide to the global market.
Additionally, Commerce is committed to exploring the potential of other high-value commodities on the
Property such as niobium and phosphate minerals, which may help advance Ashram by reducing costs through
shared development.
For more information, please visit the corporate website at www.commerceresources.com or email
info@commerceresources.com.
3467-3395-5385v12
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