COMPANY PROFILE

Ascent Forge Group | Business Advisory and Implementation Services

Ascent Forge Group is a boutique business advisory and implementation services firm that provides integrated, shared value-add solutions to corporations globally, predominantly within the extractive industries.

Our experience and service offering stems from on the ground management level accountability across the full commercial function, while employed in large multi-national environments over the past twenty years during different economic cycles and under various business leaders.

We take immense pride in our work and have a track record of delivering bottom-line improvements. We take time to listen to our clients and understand the operating environment before working closely with them to address complex business challenges and risks, realise opportunities and achieve financial and operational efficiencies.

General financial health checks and process fatal flaw reviews Organisational structure optimisation Financial accounting and reporting optimisation Management accounting and reporting optimisation Business planning optimisation Development of short and long-term business plans with specific focus

on long-term plans Capital allocation and project management optimisation Working capital management optimisation

Treasury optimisation Strategic Finance management support

WHO WE ARE WHAT WE DO

We focus on advisory and implementation services covering the following core areas:

1. | OPERATIONAL ANDSTRATEGIC FINANCE

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2. |

WHAT WE DO CONTINUED...

Business and investment case development Identifying business opportunities Developing and implementing growth strategies Dataroom management Due diligence reviews Preparation of financial models for valuations and funding applications Synergy identification reviews and execution management

Business turnaround strategy development and project implementation Cost management and cost saving strategies Full turnkey business process optimisation review (diagnostics, deep dive

assessments and implementation) Operational readiness and overall impact assessments Supply chain management optimisation Contractor management optimisation

TRANSACTION ADVISORY AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 2. | 3. | BUSINESS

IMPROVEMENT

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Audit reviews of various function disciplines General risk assessments Development of guidelines, frameworks, processes and standard

operating procedures Insurance management

Financial impact analysis in support of viability assessments

Placement of temporary and permanent staff Skills training and development Individual specific coaching and mentoring ERP project management

Remuneration related services (Incentive schemes) Regulatory advisory services Technical accounting opinions Annual financial statement preparation

WHAT WE DO CONTINUED...

4. | GOVERNANCE, RISK AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT 5. | OTHER SPECIALITY

SERVICES

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Founding partner. His career spans more than 20 years in operational finance, strategic finance, business development, business improvement, M&A synergy execution, project management, stakeholder management, regulatory and governance advisory, and various other commercial aspects, mainly within the resources sector.

Gary has extensive experience advising operational teams, senior management and executives of multi-national listed entities. His competitive advantage is his wide-ranging expertise in the resources sector, on-the-ground practical work experience at mining operations in multiple jurisdictions in Africa for global listed companies, and a broad network of credible contacts in the resources sector globally.

Until February 2014, he was based in Ghana as the Vice President & Regional Head of Finance of MENA & Eurasia region of Gold Fields Limited, one of the world’s largest gold producers with a primary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and secondary listings on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Swiss Exchange (SWX). He also served as CFO for two operating entities in Ghana.

At that stage, Gold Fields Ghana Limited was the largest company within Ghana, biggest private sector employer and the largest surface gold mine in Africa by mining volumes.

Previously, Gary was the Financial Manager at Gold Fields Ghana Limited (Tarkwa mine) driving the full commercial aspect of the operation. He also occupied various other financial operational roles in South Africa for Gold Fields Ltd, of which some of the operations have subsequently been spun off into Sibanye Stillwater Limited.

Prior to that, he was the Capital Reporting Business Analyst for Barrick Gold Corporation for the Africa Region, currently one of the world’s leading gold mining company with listings on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) and NYSE. Barrick’s gold assets in Africa was spun-off into Acacia Mining Plc.

ASCENT’S CORE MANAGEMENT

Gary Hamann

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Partner. Hardus is a Chartered accountant (CA (SA)) whose career spans more than 15 years in auditing, transactions services, external reporting, operational finance, treasury, tax, financial planning and analysis, strategic finance, shared services, business improvement, project management, corporate finance and capital management mainly within the resource sector, having worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers and Barrick Gold Corporation.

Hardus brings in depth finance knowledge and experience having worked in a multi-national listed environment across a variety of senior finance executive roles within multiple African jurisdictions.

Hardus completed his articles at PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2005 where after he spent some time as an Assistant Manager in Transactions Services.

He joined Barrick Gold Corporation in August 2006 as Senior Manager – Reporting and Planning for the Africa Region. Prior to the spin-off into Acacia Mining Plc (previously African Barrick Gold Plc), which was listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and Dubai Stock

Exchange (DSE), he progressed to the role of Regional Financial Controller. Having been intimately involved in the listing process he subsequently held roles of Group Financial Controller, Group Treasurer and Manager – Financial Planning and Capital Allocation.

Apart from the IPO, major highlights during his career at Acacia Mining Plc included corporate finance involvement in various M&A activities, the initial set up of the independent consolidation and external reporting function, project management responsibility for Project Kifaru which succeeded to generate US$185 million in cost savings, senior finance staff development, the initial set up of a shared services function and financial analysis and planning improvements in both the short and long term planning areas.

ASCENT’S CORE MANAGEMENT

Hardus Engelbrecht

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enquiries@ascentforge.com ghamann@ascentforge.com Tel: +1 470 496 1210 Tel: +27 82 325 3415

hengelbrecht@ascentforge.com www.ascentforgegroup.com

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