Sign in

You're signed outSign in or to get full access.

Michael Cinnamond

Director at Contango ORE
Board

About Michael Cinnamond

Michael Cinnamond (age 58) is nominated to join CTGO’s Board as an independent director; if elected, his service begins upon completion of the June 10, 2025 annual meeting. He is SVP Finance and Chief Financial Officer of B2Gold Corp. (since April 2014), a former audit partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (BC Resources Leader for Mining/Forestry/Energy & Utilities), past President of the Canadian Institute of Mining (2023–2024), and previously a director at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC and holds an LLB from the University of Exeter; he brings 25+ years of mining-sector finance and industry experience to CTGO .

Past Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureCommittees/Impact
B2Gold Corp.Senior Vice President Finance & CFOApr 2014–presentFinance leadership; public company CFO
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLPAudit Partner; BC Resources Leader (Mining, Forestry, Energy & Utilities)Prior to Apr 2014 (exact dates not disclosed)Led resource practice; audit and reporting expertise
Canadian Institute of MiningPresident2023–2024Professional association leadership
Canuck Place Children’s HospiceDirectorPrior service (dates not disclosed)Non-profit governance

External Roles

OrganizationRoleStatus
B2Gold Corp.SVP Finance & CFOCurrent
Canadian Institute of MiningPresident2023–2024 (completed)
Canuck Place Children’s HospiceDirectorPrior service (completed)

Board Governance

  • Independence: The Board determined all nominees other than the CEO (Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse) are independent under NYSE American and SEC rules; Cinnamond is presented as an independent nominee .
  • Committee structure: CTGO maintains Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Corporate Governance (N&CG) Committees, each comprised solely of independent directors with formal charters and a clawback policy; newly elected directors may be designated to one or more committees after the meeting .
  • 2024 meetings and attendance: The Board held 8 meetings and committees held 8 meetings in 2024; all then-serving directors attended 100% of Board and applicable committee meetings (Cinnamond was not yet on the Board) .
Governance ItemDetails
Board meetings (FY2024)8 meetings; 100% attendance by all then-serving directors
Committee meetings (FY2024)8 meetings; Audit 4, Compensation 3 (+1 consent), N&CG 1; 100% attendance by members
Committee independenceAll three committees composed solely of independent directors
Clawback policyMandatory recovery of incentive-based compensation upon restatement; applies regardless of misconduct
Insider trading, hedging/pledging policyStringent restrictions including prohibitions on short sales and derivative transactions; policy framework covers hedging/pledging

Fixed Compensation

ComponentAmountTiming/Notes
Independent director cash retainer$35,000 per quarterAs of Dec 31, 2024
Chairman cash retainer$45,000 per quarterAs of Dec 31, 2024
Cash retainer reduction$25,000 per quarterEffective Apr 1, 2025; directors reduced cash by 28.5%
Chair/meeting feesNoneNo additional chair or meeting fees
Expense reimbursementReasonable out-of-pocketFor board service

Performance Compensation

Directors received equity in the form of restricted stock during FY2024 (not performance-conditioned; time-based vesting). New director grants for 2025 are not disclosed; equity awards are determined by the Board/Compensation Committee.

Director Equity Grants (FY2024)SharesVestingGrant Fair Value
Independent directors (Compofelice, Shortz, Freeman)15,000January 2027$235,500 each (ASC 718 grant-date fair value)
Darwin Green6,000January 2027$119,280 (ASC 718 grant-date fair value)

CTGO uses a 2023 Omnibus Incentive Plan permitting stock options, restricted stock, SARs, and other stock-based awards; options outstanding at 12/31/24 were 100,000 at $14.50 (expired Jan 2025), with 458,376 shares remaining available for future issuance under the plan .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

PersonOther Public Company BoardsCommittee RolesPotential Interlocks/Notes
Michael CinnamondNone disclosedN/ACurrent role is CFO (officer) at B2Gold; no CTGO-related transactions disclosed

Expertise & Qualifications

  • Financial leadership and audit expertise: Public company CFO since 2014; former PwC audit partner and BC resources practice leader .
  • Professional credentials: Member, Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC; LLB (University of Exeter) .
  • Industry leadership: President, Canadian Institute of Mining (2023–2024) .
  • Mining sector experience: 25+ years across finance, audit, and operations interface in mining .

Equity Ownership

HolderShares Beneficially OwnedPercent of ClassVested/UnvestedPledged/Hedged
Michael CinnamondNot disclosedInsider policy restricts hedging/short sales; pledging covered by policy framework

As of the April 11, 2025 record date, Cinnamond was a nominee with no beneficial ownership listed; CTGO reported all Section 16(a) filings compliant for FY2024 .

Governance Assessment

  • Alignment signals: Reduction in director cash retainer to $25k per quarter effective April 1, 2025 lowers fixed cash and historically paired with time-vested restricted stock grants, supporting longer-term alignment for independent directors .
  • Independence and committee readiness: Board/committees are fully independent; Cinnamond’s CFO/audit background enhances bench strength for Audit and Compensation oversight (committee assignments to be determined post-election) .
  • Controls and safeguards: Formal clawback policy, insider trading and hedging/pledging policy, and prohibitions on personal loans to directors mitigate governance risk .
  • Ownership alignment watchpoint: No disclosed CTGO share ownership at nomination date—initial “skin-in-the-game” appears limited; monitor for post-election equity grants consistent with prior director awards .
  • Conflicts/related parties: CTGO disclosed no related-party transactions above SEC thresholds in recent periods; Cinnamond’s external role at B2Gold presents no disclosed transaction with CTGO, but ongoing monitoring is prudent given industry overlap .
  • Shareholder feedback: Prior say-on-pay approval ~94% (2023) indicates supportive investor stance on CTGO’s pay practices; governance continuity likely positive for confidence .

No red flags identified in filings for legal proceedings, SEC investigations, option repricing, pledging/hedging by insiders, or delinquent Section 16(a) reporting. Continue to monitor post-election committee designations and any equity grant disclosures to assess alignment and potential interlocks .