Meet The Team

Richard Tremblay

Richard Tremblay

Senior Vice President, Operations

Richard Tremblay joined Taseko as General Manager, Gibraltar in July 2014. Mr. Tremblay is an experienced senior level executive with over 30 years in the mining industry. He has a strong operations background in Open Pit Mining as well as Mineral Processing.

Prior to joining Taseko Mr. Tremblay held positions as Vice President Operations, Coalspur; General Manager Fording River Operations Teck Coal; General Manager Line Creek Operations, Elk Valley Coal Corporation; and Superintendent, Processing Elkview Operations and Coal Mountain Operations, Elk Valley Coal Corporation.

In May 2019 Mr. Tremblay was named Mining Person of the Year by the Mining Association of BC for his work on the BC Health, Safety, and Reclamation Code Committee and the Mining Jobs Task Force. He also served as Chair of the BC Mine Managers Committee from 2007 to 2009.

Mr. Tremblay holds an MBA from Simon Fraser University and is a professional engineer with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University.

Education

  • Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Queen’s University
  • MBA, Simon Fraser University

Work Experience

  • Senior Vice President, Operations, 2021 - Present, Taseko Mines Limited
  • Vice President, Operations, 2019 - 2021, Taseko Mines Limited
  • General Manager, Gibraltar, 2014 - 2019, Taseko Mines Limited
  • Vice President Operations, 2013 - 2014, Coalspur
  • General Manager Fording River Operations, 2006 - 2013, Teck Coal
  • General Manager Line Creek Operations, 2005 - 2006, Elk Valley Coal Corporation
  • Superintendent, Processing Elkview Operations and Coal Mountain Operations, 1996 - 2005, Elk Valley Coal Corporation

Boards

  • Chair of the BC Mine Managers Committee (2007 to 2009)

Awards

  • 2018 Mining Person of the Year, Mining Association of BC

Sophie Dessart

Sophie Dessart

Manager of Communications and Public Affairs

Sophie Dessart’s experience centers around strategic communications, journalism, and project management. Prior to joining Florence Copper, she most recently worked as a consultant for Phoenix-based Global External Relations, helping mining companies cultivate their social license through social risk assessments, stakeholder mapping, and social media analysis.

Sophie has a Masters of Global Management in Global Affairs and Global Business from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, Arizona. While at Thunderbird, she worked as Editor-in-Chief of Thunderbird’s Das Tor News & Media, where she led a team of nearly 30 from over 10 different countries. Her work was honored when she received the Barton Kyle Yount (BKY) Award and Dean’s Circle Award upon graduating at the top of her class.

Sophie has been named an Emerging Sustainability Leader by Arizona Forward and is Vice-Chair of the Arizona Mining Association Communications Committee. She serves on the board of Central Arizona College, the Pinal Alliance for Economic Growth, the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Pinal County, and the Pinal County Historical Society. She also is the President of the Florence Copper Community Foundation.

While Sophie has lived across the U.S. and abroad, Arizona holds a special place in her heart, as she spent part of her childhood in Tucson and completed her graduate degree in Phoenix. She now is a proud resident of Florence and loves exploring local Pinal County libraries for her next favorite book and cooking in her free time.

Education

  • B.A. Business, Sweet Briar College
  • Masters of Global Management, Global Business & Global Affairs, Thunderbird School of Global Management (Arizona State University)

Work Experience

  • Manager of Communications and Public Affairs, 2022-Present, Florence Copper
  • Consultant, Global External Relations, 2021-2022
  • Editor-in-Chief, Das Tor News & Media, 2020-2022
  • Contract consulting projects in U.S., Belgium, and Spain, 2020-2022
  • Precinct Inspector, Michigan Department of State, 2016-2018

Boards

  • Florence Copper Community Foundation, President
  • Central Arizona College, Board Member
  • Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce, Board Member
  • United Way of Pinal County, Board Member
  • Pinal County Historical Society, Board Member
  • Pinal Alliance for Economic Growth, Board Member
  • Vice-Chair, Arizona Mining Association Communications Committee
  • American Exploration and Mining Association, AEMA Society Member (2021-2022)
  • Clarisse Machanguana Foundation, Advisor

Awards

  • Barton Kyle Yount Award
  • Thunderbird School of Global Management Dean’s Circle Award
  • Sweet Briar College Emilie Watts McVea Scholar