Sigma Lithium Corporation, a leading global lithium producer focused on sustainable lithium concentrate for next-generation EVs, has assigned Junaid Jafar as an independent Board member, effective immediately. Jafar serves as the Chief Investment Officer at Al Muhaidib Investment Office, the family office of Al Muhaidib Group, one of the largest private conglomerates in the Middle East, headquartered in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
The holdings of the Conglomerate include direct and indirect investments (through Vision Invest) in companies such as ACWA Power (KSA’s largest private sector power & water entity, in partnership with PIF), Saudi Tabreed, Data Volt, Miahona, Riyadh Cables, Savola Group and Masdar.
Mr. Junaid Jafar oversees capital allocation across private and public markets, managing a portfolio that includes global private equity, private credit, infrastructure, and venture capital investments. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Seedra Ventures, a leading venture fund in Saudi Arabia specializing in fintech. With extensive board experience in both large industrial companies and venture capital, his insights will enhance Sigma Lithium’s strategic direction, strengthening the company’s ability to meet the growing global demand for lithium.
Mr. Jafar’s professional expertise spans direct investments across private equity, private credit globally and throughout the Middle East. With nearly 30 years in investment management, he has previously worked at J.P. Morgan, Fitch Ratings and Janus Henderson in London, as well as at Emerging Markets Partnership and Tadhamon Capital in Bahrain. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants England & Wales (ICAEW) and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Middlebury College in Vermont, USA.
“We are honored and enthusiastic to welcome Mr. Jafar as an independent director to our Board,” stated Ana Cabral, CEO and Co-Chairperson of Sigma Lithium. “He is a prominent Middle Eastern business leader who will bring to our Board a wealth of capital allocation experience in base industries, creating the perfect mix of expertise to steward the Company. We are undergoing a transformational period as we leap forward to become one of the major integrated industrial-mineral lithium oxide global companies, simultaneously building our second Greentech Industrial Plant to double production capacity by the fourth quarter of 2025, while entering the planning stages of the construction for our third Greentech industrial production line, in back-to-back sequence.”
Marcelo Paiva, Co-Chairperson of Sigma Lithium, attached, “We believe that Mr. Jafar’s experiences will be instrumental in supporting the Company as we execute multiple strategic initiatives, including expanding our global commercial presence and fostering partnerships and alliances to create continued value for our shareholders. His skills are highly complementary to our Board’s, bringing a geographically diverse strategic perspective from the Middle East—the epicenter of the global energy industry, coupled with key board roles at some of the leading companies involved in executing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 Plan, with the focus on energy transition and sustainable development as strategic priorities. We look forward to the significant contribution he will bring to our Board.”
Mr. Jafar joins the board in place of Mr. Bechara Azar, who is stepping down for personal reasons. “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Mr. Azar for his significant contribution and unwavering commitment to his role on the Board of Sigma during the last 20 months, a period during which Sigma has been completely transformed from a junior miner in early stages of commissioning to one of the largest industrial lithium producers globally. We are extremely grateful for his dedication to the role and service to the board”, said Ana Cabral, CEO and Co-Chairperson of Sigma Lithium.”
RELEASE OF FULL YEAR 2024 AUDITED FINANCIAL RESULTS
Sigma Lithium announces that it will release its audited financial results for the full year ended December 31, 2024 before the market opens on Monday, March 31, 2025.
The Company will host a conference call to discuss these results on Monday, March 31, 2025, at 8:00 AM ET.
Sigma Lithium’s earnings press release, investor presentation, annual filings and links to the conference calls will be available on the Company’s Investor Relations website, ir.sigmalithiumresources.com. A webcast replay will also be available following the conclusion of the event.
