Artisanal Gold Council announces appointment of Dr. Katherina Tarnai-Lokhorst as new Chair of the Board

The Artisanal Gold Council (AGC) is excited to announce that Dr. Katherina Tarnai-Lokhorst has been appointed to be Chair of the Board of Directors for AGC. Dr. Tarnai-Lokhorst steps in following the tenure of Mr. Hugh Stephens, who held the role of AGCs's Chair from 2021-2024.

“On behalf of all of us at AGC, we thank Hugh Stephens for his wisdom, integrity, and service over the last four years as Chair of the Board,” said Roger Tissot, Executive Director of AGC. “We are excited to have Dr. Tarnai-Lokhorst step into this role and bring her leadership in engineering, project management, and strong commitment to social change around the world to lead the next stage of AGCs's growth and development.”

Dr. Katherina Tarnai-Lokhorst is an award-winning educator whose deep influence as a role model for women in engineering and physical sciences crosses disciplines and international boundaries. Katherina has connected with scholars and industry representatives across Europe, Australia, Asia and the Americas, demonstrating by example her mode of authentic inclusion. A strong advocate for fairness and instilling a sense of belonging, Katherina teaches post-secondary courses in engineering, project management and social responsibility, manages international projects as President of the Lokhorst Group Ventures and is a sought-after speaker on a wide range of project management, policy development and governance topics that focus on authenticity.

“AGC is a globally recognized organisation that is laser-focused on the cause of poverty reduction through targeted implementation of mercury-free mining practices throughout the developing world,” said Dr. Tarnai-Lokhorst, upon being appointed to the role of Chair. “I'm humbled to be taking my place as the Chair of the Board and helping to continue AGC's mission.”

For 16 years AGC has executed projects in over 30 countries to improve conditions in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector (ASGM), the largest source of mercury pollution in the world. With 10-15 million people directly working in the sector and another 90 -100 million dependent on it, ASGM is an important source of wealth generation for the world's rural poor.

For more information on the Artisanal Gold Council and our efforts to support ASGM, please visit AGC’s Website.

Pictures below of Past Chair Mr. Hugh Stephens receiving a commemorative plaque and celebrating the appointment of Dr. Katherina Tarnai-Lokhorst. presenting the plaque to Mr. Stephens is Roger Tissot, Executive Director of the Artisanal Gold Council.