OMA NEWS RELEASE: Vale’s Kelly Strong elected as the OMA’s 78th chairman

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

The Ontario Mining Association’s Board of Directors has appointed Kelly Strong as the new chairman of the industry organization. Mr. Strong is Vice President of Vale’s Ontario and U.K. Operations. The OMA, whose members are involved in various aspects of the environmentally responsible exploration, production and processing of mineral resources in Ontario, is one of the longest serving trade organizations in the country. This year, the OMA is celebrating its 93rd anniversary.

Mr. Strong becomes the 78th chairman of the OMA. He succeeds Marc Boissonneault, Xstrata Nickel’s Vice President for Sudbury Operations. Mr. Boissonneault served in this position for three years. We thank him for his leadership and his efforts as OMA Chairman on behalf of OMA members and the entire industry.

“We greatly appreciate the dedication and direction of Mr. Boissonneault during his tenure as OMA Chairman,” said OMA President Chris Hodgson.

“During his chairmanship, mining had a positive and important presence at Queen’s Park, the membership of the OMA expanded and many of the outreach and education efforts such as the So You Think You Know Mining high school video competition gained widespread acceptance and interest.”

Mr. Strong joined Vale predecessor company Inco in 2001. Since then, he has held a number of management roles including Mine Manager, General Manager Mine and Mill, Vice President Production Services and Vice President Mining and Milling.

“I am excited and humbled to serve in this new role as Chair of the OMA,” said Mr. Strong. “Ontario’s mining industry has so much to offer, and I look forward to working together with our industry partners to maximize the potential of our industry now and in the future.”

He has more than 20 years experience in the mining industry. Prior to joining Vale, he worked as a chief mine engineer and a mine captain in Red Lake gold camp. With Espanola as his home town, Mr. Strong graduated from the Haileybury School of Mines with a mining engineering diploma and from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology as a mining engineer.

We know Mr. Strong will add his own ideas, viewpoints and interests to his two-year term as OMA Chairman. The OMA and the Ontario mineral industry will benefit from the varied experience, enthusiasm and wise counsel of Mr. Strong in his new volunteer position.