Ionic Mineral Technologies Appoints Michael Wright as Chief Development Officer — Mining

Veteran project leader with $6B+ delivery experience to run Silicon Ridge scale-up and commercialize one of America’s largest halloysite hosted polymetallic IAC-Plus critical-metals and rare-earth deposits.

PROVO, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ionic Mineral Technologies, LLC (“Ionic MT”) today announced the appointment of Michael Stephan Wright as Chief Development Officer — Mining, effective March 8, 2026. Mr. Wright will report to CEO Andre Zeitoun and lead the Company’s execution organization for the Silicon Ridge scale-up, including Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Management (EPCM) strategy, permitting and regulatory execution, resource development, extraction and concentration operations, and stakeholder engagement.

Mr. Wright brings more than 25 years of global project-delivery experience, having advanced large-scale mining and processing programs valued up to $6 billion. Most recently, as Vice President — Projects at Perpetua Resources, he led the ~$2.2 billion Stibnite Gold Project through design development, financing readiness and early works, and helped secure more than $800 million in project equity. His background includes senior roles at Teck Resources, Newmont Goldcorp, Fluor, Ausenco and Bechtel across commodities including gold, copper, alumina and rare-earth elements.

Located in Utah’s Lake Mountains district, Silicon Ridge is a permitted, halloysite-hosted ion-adsorption-clay (“IAC-Plus”) deposit confirmed to contain one of North America’s most advanced concentrations of rare earths and critical technology metals. Independent assay work has identified both light and heavy rare earths alongside gallium, germanium, scandium, rubidium, cesium, lithium, vanadium, tungsten and niobium at grades and enrichment factors comparable to leading global IAC deposits. A validated 650-acre core within a 13,000-acre state-leased position underpins a shovel-ready, large-scale development pathway.

Silicon Ridge’s low-temperature ion-exchange extraction avoids high-heat roasting and heavy acids, enabling faster, lower-emission recovery and the potential for co-production of multiple high-value product streams from a single halloysite feedstock.

“Silicon Ridge is a cornerstone of America’s effort to build sovereign supply chains for strategic materials,” said Andre Zeitoun, CEO of Ionic MT. “Michael brings the technical discipline, financing experience and owner-team leadership needed to move Silicon Ridge from pilot to financeable, large-scale production. Under his guidance, we will accelerate safe, bankable execution while preserving strong community and regulatory engagement.”

“I’m honored to join Ionic MT at this pivotal moment,” said Michael Wright. “My immediate priorities are to establish an execution-ready owner’s organization, finalize EPCM and contracting strategies, and deliver a clear, financeable pathway from extraction and concentration to commercial production. Silicon Ridge’s halloysite feedstock not only hosts critical metals and rare earths but enables co-production of IonAL™ high-purity alumina and Ionisil™ nano-silicon—together forming a vertically integrated U.S. supply chain for advanced technologies.”

Ionic MT’s vertically integrated model converts halloysite into multiple co-products: recovered critical metals and rare earths via patented low-emission extraction, IonAL™ high-purity alumina for advanced ceramics and semiconductors, and Ionisil™ nano-silicon for next-generation lithium-ion anodes. This approach maximizes value while minimizing waste and environmental impact.

About Ionic Mineral Technologies

Ionic MT is developing Silicon Ridge in Utah as the nation’s first commercially advanced halloysite hosted polymetallic, IAC-Plus project producing rare earths, critical metals, IonAL™ Alumina, and Ionisil™ nano-silicon from a single, low-emission process. The Company’s goal is to establish sovereign U.S. supply chains for materials critical to electrification, defense and advanced manufacturing. For more information, visit www.ionicmt.com.