Wyoming
American Rare Earths strengthens board with veteran Wyoming mine builder ahead of planned Nasdaq listing
Veteran mine builder Matthew Gili will join American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR, OTCQX:ARRNF)’s board as a non-executive director as the company advances the Halleck Creek Rare Earths Project in Wyoming and prepares for a planned Nasdaq compliance listing in H2 2026.
Gili is currently president and CEO of Ur-Energy Inc, a NYSE American and TSX-listed Wyoming uranium producer, and brings more than 25 years of mine development and operational experience across major global mining groups including Rio Tinto and Barrick.
His appointment remains subject to completion of Australian regulatory formalities, which American Rare Earths expects to be completed shortly.
Once formally appointed, Gili will join the company’s Technical Committee and contribute to the Definitive Feasibility Study workstream at Halleck Creek, which American Rare Earths describes as the largest known rare earth deposit in the United States on a total rare earth oxide basis.
Board renewal ahead of US listing plans
The appointment forms part of a broader board renewal process as ARR works toward a Nasdaq compliance dual-listing in H2 2026, while retaining the ASX as its primary listing.
The company is also considering a full US domicile in 2027, subject to a prospective shareholder vote.
CEO Mark Wall said Gili’s operational experience and Wyoming background would strengthen the board as Halleck Creek moves toward construction and production.
“The intended addition of Matt to our Board of Directors further demonstrates our commitment to advancing the largest rare earth element deposit on a total contained rare earths basis in the United States toward construction and operations. Matt brings a tremendous blend of mining technical expertise and Wyoming-specific experience to both the Board and the Technical Committee. His depth of operational knowledge, his relationships in Wyoming, and his proven track record of delivering world-class mining projects, including building the first new copper mine in the United States in a decade, make him exactly the right person to help us get Halleck Creek built.
“As we progress toward our NASDAQ listing later this year, appointments of this calibre send a clear message to U.S. investors about the quality of the team and the seriousness of our intent. Matt’s experience managing ISR uranium operations in Wyoming gives him first-hand knowledge of the hydrometallurgical processing chemistry that will be central to bringing Halleck Creek into production. The parallels between uranium and rare earth processing are substantial and practically meaningful. This is not simply a credential; it is operational expertise that will directly benefit our Technical Committee and Feasibility Study.”
Wyoming experience to support Halleck Creek
Gili is based in Casper, Wyoming, and has direct operational experience in the state’s regulatory, permitting and community environment.
American Rare Earths said that experience was directly relevant to Halleck Creek, which is in Albany and Platte counties, and to the Cowboy State Mine area within the broader project.
The company has started its 2026 feasibility-study-level drilling program at Cowboy State Mine, targeting geological and geotechnical data to support ore reserve estimates, engineering, environmental baseline studies and pilot-scale metallurgical test-work.
Gili said the company was at an important point in the development of a domestic rare earths supply chain.
“ARE is at a pivotal moment for the domestic rare earths industry. The strategic mandate for secure, reliable supply chains has never been stronger, and assets of Halleck Creek’s scale and quality come along once in a generation. Throughout my career I have focused on building safe, high-performing mines and operational teams that execute.
“My experience leading ISR uranium operations in Wyoming has given me a direct understanding of the hydrometallurgical processing disciplines acid leaching, solvent extraction, ion exchange that are at the heart of rare earth extraction and separation. I have seen how these technologies operate at scale in a Wyoming regulatory and environmental context, and I believe that experience will be genuinely useful as American Rare Earths advances toward its Definitive Feasibility Study and processing pilot programmes at Halleck Creek.
“Wyoming is my home. I am proud to bring this experience to American Rare Earths and to work with the team to advance this world-class deposit into production for the benefit of our state, our investors, and our nation’s supply chain security.”
Processing crossover with uranium ISR
American Rare Earths said Gili’s background in uranium in-situ recovery, or ISR, was relevant because the processing route shares core chemistry with rare earth hydrometallurgy.
The company pointed to common processes including sulfuric acid leaching, solvent extraction, ion exchange, precipitation, drying and solution management.
Gili has overseen ISR uranium hydrometallurgy at Lost Creek, an operating Wyoming ISR facility, giving him experience in similar processing disciplines in the same state regulatory and environmental setting.
The company said the appointment would also add US public company experience as American Rare Earths works through the governance, disclosure and investor relations requirements associated with a Nasdaq listing.