Who We Are
As a leader in the Canadian resources sector we take pride in ensuring our products are of consistent, reliable and replicable quality; within cargoes and between cargoes.
Our Senior Leadership Team

IOC is managed by our Senior Leadership Team including the following members.

 

 

 

 

Mike McCann

President and Chief Executive Officer

Mike was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in August of 2021. He brings 30 years of operational business experience built in the mining and processing industry. Mike is a highly experienced and passionate business leader putting people at the forefront of every decision. He has also overseen large and complex mining and processing operations in the North Atlantic region and internationally in the UK, Japan and China.

 

 

Chantal Lavoie

Chief Operating Officer

Chantal was appointed as Chief Operating Officer of IOC in late 2018. As COO, Chantal’s mandate is to position IOC as the premier mining organization in North America by engaging and developing our employees, building relationships with key stakeholders and capturing both productivity and capital growth opportunities.

 

 

Sam Houston

Vice President Major Projects 

Sam was appointed as Vice President Major Projects at IOC in June 2022. With more than 25 years in the industry, Sam has delivered transformational change and strategic development across a diverse portfolio of international mega-projects. Sam is a collaborative and inclusive leader who is excited about leveraging and developing IOC’s existing, diverse capabilities and capacity to achieve the business strategy.

 

 

Alice Tharenos

Chief Financial Officer

Alice Tharenos was appointed Chief Financial Officer in January 2023. Alice is a financial professional with more than 20 years of mining leadership experience across multiple disciplines and continents. She is bringing her commercial expertise to drive strategic initiatives in a growing industry with exciting opportunities and oversees the continued financial health of our business.

 

 

Brian White

Director, Communications and External Affairs

Brian White was appointed Director, Communications and External Affairs at IOC in September 2022. Brian first joined IOC in 2020 as chief of staff in the office of the President and Chief Executive Officer where he had in-depth exposure to IOC’s operations while providing strategic and managerial support to the IOC Senior Leadership Team. Prior to joining IOC, Brian worked in Corporate Relations covering projects across Rio Tinto’s entire global portfolio of assets building his experience in public relations, communications and stakeholder engagement in operating environments as diverse as Mongolia, South Africa, and Serbia.

 

 

Caroline Hands

General Manager of Human Resources

Caroline was appointed General Manager of Human Resources at IOC in January 2020. Caroline has been with Rio Tinto for 12 years and during this time has performed a number of roles within the HR function throughout Australia and the UK. She is passionate about creating an environment where people can be their best and contribute to the success of the company and the communities in which we live and operate.

 

 

Rafael Azevedo

General Manager, Sales & Marketing

Rafael was appointed to the role of General Manager, Sales & Marketing at IOC in April 2021. He brings a strong background in sales, physical and paper trading, market intelligence and business strategy to his role where he has accountability for all aspects of Sales and Marketing of our Canadian iron ore portfolio. This includes continuing to grow the value of IOC’s high-grade iron ore product portfolio and drive strong customer relationships.

 

 

Benoit Palmer

Chief Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Ben has been a member of Rio Tinto’s in-house legal team for 18 years. During the early part of his career, he supported Aluminium operations in Canada, Africa, the Middle East and the EU, and spent time as an expat in Paris, France. In 2019, Ben was named General Counsel for Rio Tinto’s Canadian mining businesses, which include the Iron Ore Company of Canada and Rio Tinto Fer et Titane. In 2020, QIT Madagascar Minerals was also added to his scope. He is currently based in Montreal, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.