Management

Marc Fogassa is our Founder and has been our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since July 2016. He has lengthy experience in executive management for mining projects, as well as in venture capital and capital markets, and has served on boards of directors of multiple private companies. Mr. Fogassa double majored at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), graduating with two Bachelor of Science degrees in 1990. He later graduated from the Harvard Medical School with a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1995, and also from the Harvard Business School with a Master in Business Administration degree in 1999. Mr. Fogassa was born in Brazil and is fluent in Portuguese and English. Mr. Fogassa is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Lithium Corporation (“Atlas Lithium”), a related party.

Virgilio Santiago was appointed our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in April 2026. In this role, he is responsible for all of the Company’s financial and administrative functions, including treasury, accounting, tax, financial planning and analysis, and budgeting.

Mr. Santiago has over 20 years of experience in corporate finance, controllership, and governance, with a strong track record in publicly listed companies and large-scale mining projects. He most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of Araguaia Níquel Metais Ltda., part of Horizonte Minerals plc, where he led the financial management of the Araguaia Project, a large-scale greenfield nickel development with approximately US$1 billion in CAPEX, as well as the Vermelho Project. His responsibilities included financial structuring, project finance implementation, financial restructuring, and negotiations with international lending syndicates and investors. Earlier in this role, as Controllership Manager, he was instrumental in the operational implementation of a US$386 million project finance facility, including a US$280 million currency hedge structure, and led the implementation of SAP financial and budgeting modules during a period of rapid organizational growth.

Prior to Horizonte Minerals, Mr. Santiago served as Regional Senior FP&A Manager for Latin America at Ausenco, overseeing financial planning and analysis for operations with an annual turnover of approximately US$200 million. He previously held the position of Controllership Manager (Head of Finance) at Boart Longyear in Brazil, where he managed operations with BRL 240 million in annual turnover. At SNC-Lavalin, Mr. Santiago served as CFO of Marte Engenharia, where he led a financial restructuring and supported the successful completion of an M&A transaction, and implemented Oracle ERP systems focused on costing and project accounting.

Mr. Santiago began his career as an external auditor at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, where he led audits for large companies in the industrial and financial sectors. Mr. Santiago holds a degree in Economics from PUC Minas, where he received the Academic Excellence Award. He is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

James Schloffer was appointed our Chief Technical Officer in February 2026. Mr. Schloffer is an accomplished process engineer with more than 15 years of experience across the full project lifecycle – from process simulation and feasibility-level engineering through commissioning, plant optimization, and commercial operations.

His experience spans lithium, rare earths, graphite, uranium, vanadium, and iron ore projects in multiple jurisdictions, including Brazil. Mr. Schloffer has worked extensively on Brazilian mining projects, including as a key part of the Atlas Lithium Corporation (Nasdaq: ATLX) technical team developing the Neves Lithium Project in Minas Gerais state, and as Senior Process Engineer for Sigma Lithium Resources, where he supervised metallurgical testwork and delivered detailed feasibility study deliverables in Minas Gerais.

His rare earths experience includes plant optimization and metallurgical accounting at Northern Minerals’ Browns Range operation in Australia. His graphite references include concentrator process design and pre-feasibility study deliverables for multiple projects. Most recently, he served as Lead Process Engineer on the detailed design of Deep Yellow Ltd’s uranium and vanadium project.

His iron ore experience includes work with Fortescue, Rio Tinto, and Roy Hill. Mr. Schloffer holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Igor Tkachenko was appointed as our Vice President of Corporate Strategy on February 1, 2026. Mr. Tkachenko began consulting for Atlas Critical Minerals in March 2025. As a consultant, he played a role in the corporate development efforts that culminated in the Company’s successful uplisting to the Nasdaq Capital Market in January 2026. Mr. Tkachenko brings significant relevant experience from his tenure at Atlas Lithium Corporation (Nasdaq: ATLX), where he has served as Vice President of Corporate Strategy since 2023. At Atlas Lithium, he oversaw the rapid expansion of investor relations efforts and participated in the design and execution of the organizational growth strategy. Mr. Tkachenko is now focused on translating these proven experiences to help drive Atlas Critical Minerals’ next phase of growth. His education includes a Bachelor of Science (Summa Cum Laude) and a Doctor of Medicine degrees.

Areli Nogueira da Silva Júnior has served as our director since 2019. Mr. da Silva Júnior has been a consultant to us since 2018 and became our Vice-President, Mineral Exploration, in 2021. He is the Founder and was the Chief Technical Officer of MineXplore, a consultancy focused on mineral rights in Brazil. Mr. da Silva Júnior has been a consultant geologist with GeoEspinhaço, a firm that undertakes geological studies in a variety of minerals across Brazil. Mr. da Silva Júnior has also been a college faculty member teaching geology. Previously, he worked at the Brazilian mining department and before that as a geologist at Usiminas Mineração. Mr. da Silva Júnior has a Master of Geology degree from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and an undergraduate degree in Geological Engineering from the School of Mines of the Federal University of Ouro Preto, a premier and the oldest mining-focused college in Brazil. Mr. da Silva has been officer and consultant to Atlas Lithium and Apollo Resources.

Brian W. Bernier has been a consultant to us since 2019 and became our Vice-President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations in 2020. Mr. Bernier has worked in the business development and investor relations sector for over three decades and was most recently at a regional investment bank. He graduated with a degree in Management from Boston University. Mr. Bernier has been an officer and consultant to Atlas Lithium and Apollo Resources.