On April 13th, Dominion Diamond Corporation announced the retirement of Robert Gannicott as Chairman of the Company; and appointment and the appointment of Jim Gowans as non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors with immediate effect.   Gannicott continues to be a director of the Company.

It will be recalled that Gowans, currently President and Chief Executive Officer for Arizona Mining Inc was appointed to the Board of Directors of Dominion on January 13, 2016.   Earlier, he held several senior roles with Barrick Gold Corporation before retiring at the end of 2015.

Gowans has also held leadership roles for a number of major mining companies including as Managing Director of the Debswana Diamond Company in Botswana and Chief Executive Officer of De Beers Canada Inc., where he was instrumental in building the company’s Canadian operations.

He is a former Chair of the Mining Association of Canada (MAC), and is the Past-President of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM).

Brendan Bell, Chief Executive Officer, commented: “On behalf of the executive team, I welcome Jim to his role as Chairman and I look forward to working with him. Jim’s extensive knowledge of the global diamond industry and mining, coupled with his operating experience of working in Canada’s North will complement the management team as we continue to realize the full potential of Dominion’s world-class diamond assets.”

Dan Jarvis, Lead Independent Director, commented: “I would like to extend the Board's deep appreciation to Bob for his invaluable leadership and tireless contribution over the past twelve years as Chairman of Dominion. He has been instrumental in building this Company from a junior exploration company to the world’s third largest diamond producer and a true Canadian success story. We are pleased that with Bob remaining on the Board, he will continue to make a valuable contribution to the Company as it moves forward and the Company will continue to benefit from his extensive expertise.”