Gottesfeld has spent two decades working at Newmont Mining, which is based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, since joining the firm in 1997. He has held various roles at the company prior to his current position of executive vice president and general counsel. In the early 2000s, he also spent three years leading the company’s arm in Lima, Peru.

Gottesfeld’s appointment comes just one week after Continental Gold approved nine directors during its annual shareholder meeting on June 5. All nine, including Ari Sussman, CEO of Toronto-based Continental Gold, were approved with more than 99.5% of the votes in favor.

Sussman said that he believes Gottesfeld, especially given his varied experience working in the region’s mining sector, will be a valuable addition to the board of directors.

“Stephen’s significant mining industry expertise, particularly in Latin America, further strengthens our board and we look forward to working with him as we advance our flagship Buriticá gold project in Antioquia, Colombia, to production and execute our strategy,” said Sussman.