Mr. Hurst has over 34 years of experience in the mining/resource industries having acted as geologist, consultant, mining analyst, and senior executive. Mr. Hurst holds a Bachelor of Science in geology from McMaster University (1986). He was a mining analyst with McDermid St. Lawrence and Sprott Securities and a contract analyst to Pacific International Securities and Octagon Capital up until 1995. From 1995 to 2003 Mr. Hurst operated D.S. Hurst Inc. a company offering corporate, evaluation and financing consulting services to the mining industry. He was a founding executive of International Royalty Corporation from 2003 to 2006 and a director of the company until 2010 when the company was purchased by Royal Gold for $700 million.