Nova Minerals adds former JP Morgan mining specialist as US critical metals strategy advances

Nova Minerals Corp has appointed former JP Morgan metals and mining specialist Joshua Girnun to its board as the company accelerates its US-focused critical minerals strategy. The appointment coincides with a pivotal execution phase for the Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals Project in Alaska, following the company's recent redomiciliation from Australia to the United States. This move is significant for the mining sector as it underscores the increasing focus on securing domestic US supplies of critical minerals like antimony through strategic institutional leadership and government backing.

Joshua Girnun’s appointment to the Nova Minerals board, effective July 1, 2026, brings significant institutional finance and risk underwriting expertise to the company as it advances its Alaskan operations. During his tenure at JP Morgan Chase & Co, Girnun co-founded a risk underwriting team that covered metals, mining, and energy, while also helping to develop the firm’s internal risk standards for the natural resources sector. His experience across corporate lending, project finance, and capital markets is expected to be a critical asset for Nova as it progresses its flagship Estelle project through the feasibility stage and evaluates new project opportunities.

The Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals Project is described as one of the largest undeveloped gold deposits in the world, featuring two defined multi-million-ounce gold resources and over 20 prospects across a 35-kilometer mineralized trend. Located in Alaska’s Tintina Gold Belt—a region with a 220-million-ounce gold endowment that includes Kinross Gold’s Fort Knox Mine—the project is also a focal point for domestic critical mineral production. Nova is specifically targeting the production of military-grade antimony trisulfide, supported by a US$43.4 million award from the US Department of War under the Defense Production Act, with a production target set for late 2026 or 2027.

The strategic addition of Girnun follows Nova’s redomiciliation from Australia to the United States, a move designed to align the company’s corporate structure with its US-based assets and improve access to American government and institutional capital. CEO Christopher Gerteisen stated that Girnun’s experience in resource transaction evaluation at the institutional level will be useful as Nova moves from development toward production. By strengthening its leadership with a specialist in resource transaction evaluation, Nova aims to better position itself for potential US index inclusion and the successful execution of its domestic critical minerals strategy.