Investor Insight
New Found Gold is an emerging Canadian gold producer with a multi-asset portfolio in Newfoundland and Labrador, anchored by the high-grade, district-scale Queensway project and complemented by the Hammerdown operation and permitted processing infrastructure at Pine Cove and Nugget Pond. New Found Gold offers a combination of near-term cash flow potential and long-term, district-scale growth.
Overview
New Found Gold (TSXV:NFG,NYSE:NFGC) is an emerging Canadian gold producer with assets located in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The company’s portfolio includes its flagship Queensway gold project, as well as the Hammerdown operation, Pine Cove mill and Nugget Pond hydrometallurgical gold plant.
In 2025, New Found Gold refreshed its board of directors and management team, adding a group of experienced mine builders and operators to support the company’s transition from exploration to production, and build off its established exploration expertise. The reconstituted board is led by chairman Paul Andre Huet and includes seasoned mining executives and capital markets specialists.
In November 2025, New Found Gold completed the acquisition of Maritime Resources, creating a diversified gold company with both development and producing assets in a top-tier jurisdiction. The transaction brought together two high-quality gold projects — Queensway and Hammerdown — and added permitted processing infrastructure, positioning the company to pursue a clear path to production and cash flow.
The company is currently focused on ramping up Hammerdown safely and efficiently through 2026, while advancing Queensway through engineering, permitting and project finance toward a targeted Phase 1 start-up in H2/2027. This multi-asset approach is intended to support near-term cash flow potential while maintaining meaningful exploration and development upside through Queensway’s large, high-grade gold system.
At Queensway, New Found Gold has consolidated a district-scale land position and continues to advance technical work including infill drilling, grade control drilling, geotechnical studies, metallurgical testwork, environmental baseline studies and broader exploration programs. In parallel, the company has engaged Cutfield Freeman as project finance advisor to help evaluate and select an optimal financing package for Queensway Phase 1 initial capital.
Company Highlights
- District-scale land package at Queensway totaling 230,225 hectares and covering more than 110 kilometres of strike along two major fault zones
- Hammerdown operation commenced production with a first gold pour in November 2025 and is targeted to ramp up to commercial/steady-state production through 2026
- Ownership of the Pine Cove operation (fully permitted mill and tailings facility) and Nugget Pond hydrometallurgical gold plant, providing processing infrastructure and optionality to support both Hammerdown and Queensway Phase 1
- Strengthened management team and refreshed board led by chairman Paul Andre Huet, with a solid shareholder base including cornerstone investor Eric Sprott
Key Projects
Queensway Gold Project
The 100 percent owned Queensway gold project is New Found Gold’s flagship asset and the primary driver of long-term value creation. Located in central Newfoundland, Queensway spans 230,225 hectares and covers more than 110 kilometres of strike along the Appleton and JBP fault zones, highlighting its district-scale exploration potential.
Aerial view of the Queensway gold project, adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway near Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador
In 2025, New Found Gold published its initial MRE for Queensway, outlining 18 Mt grading 2.40 grams per ton (g/t) gold for 1.39 Moz (indicated), with an additional 10.7 Mt grading 1.77 g/t gold for 0.61 Moz (inferred), establishing a solid mineral resource base to underpin development studies.
In July 2025, New Found Gold completed a PEA for Queensway showing total production of approximately 1.5 Moz over a 15-year mine life and robust base-case economics, including after-tax NPV5 percent of C$743 million and after-tax IRR of 56.3 percent at US$2,500/oz gold, with life-of-mine AISC of US$1,256/oz, and Phase 1 initial capital of approximately C$155 million. The PEA outlines a phased development strategy designed to accelerate the project’s path to production, with Phase 1 focused on high-grade, near-surface mineralization from the Appleton Fault Zone (AFZ) Core and a low-capital processing approach leveraging off-site milling and tailings capacity (including the company’s permitted Pine Cove facility).
The AFZ Core hosts multiple high-grade gold zones, including Keats, Iceberg, Keats West, Lotto and Monte Carlo, which form the foundation of the PEA mine plan. Ongoing infill drilling, grade control drilling, excavation and geotechnical programs are being carried out to support mine planning, improve resource confidence, and advance future mineral resource updates. In 2025, the company completed more than 74,000 metres of diamond drilling, primarily focused on resource definition and pre-development work, alongside continued near-surface excavation, mapping and channel sampling in key zones.
Beyond the current mine plan, continued drilling along strike and at depth across Queensway has delivered new discoveries, highlighting the project’s potential for resource growth beyond the initial PEA scope. Notably, exploration success at targets outside the AFZ Core — including the Dropkick zone — underscores the broader camp-scale potential across the district-scale land package.
Hammerdown Operation
The Hammerdown operation is a high-grade gold project that New Found Gold is advancing through production ramp-up. Following the Maritime acquisition, Hammerdown achieved a first gold pour in November 2025 and is targeted to ramp up to commercial/steady-state production later in 2026.
Hammerdown benefits from on-island processing infrastructure and regional synergies, providing the company flexibility to pursue a production-focused strategy alongside ongoing development at Queensway. Hammerdown is the first step in establishing New Found Gold as a new Canadian gold producer.
Pine Cove Operation and Nugget Pond Hydrometallurgical Gold Plant
New Found Gold also owns the Pine Cove operation, which includes a fully permitted mill and tailings facility, as well as the Nugget Pond hydrometallurgical gold plant. These assets provide the company with permitted processing infrastructure in Newfoundland and Labrador and support operational flexibility as Hammerdown ramps up and Queensway advances toward a phased production strategy.
Management Team
Keith Boyle — Chief Executive Officer and Director
Keith Boyle brings over 40 years of global mining experience, including extensive roles in operations, project development, technical studies, investor relations and budget management. Prior to joining New Found Gold, Mr. Boyle served as chief operating officer at Reunion Gold, where he fast-tracked the high-grade Oko West project in Guyana ahead of its acquisition for $870 million. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering and an MBA, and is a registered professional engineer in Ontario and Newfoundland & Labrador.
Paul Andre Huet – Chairman
Paul Andre Huet is currently the chief executive officer at Americas Gold and Silver and was chairman and CEO of Karora Resources from 2019 to 2024, until its acquisition by Westgold Resources for $1.3 billion. Prior to this he was president, CEO and Director of Klondex Mines from 2012 to 2018, until its acquisition by Hecla Mining Company for $700 million. Huet has a strong command of capital markets and has served in all levels of engineering and operations within publicly traded mining companies. He graduated with Honors from the Mining Engineering Technology program at Haileybury School of Mines in Ontario and successfully completed the Stanford Executive program at the Stanford School of business.
Melissa Render — President
Melissa Render is an exploration geologist with more than 18 years of experience focused on orogenic gold systems. She joined New Found Gold as a consultant in 2020, became vice-president, exploration in 2021, and was promoted to president in 2024. Ms. Render has led exploration programs worldwide across multiple gold belts and brings expertise in target generation, 3D modelling, data management and exploration program design. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Geological and Earth Sciences from Dalhousie University and is a registered professional geoscientist in Ontario and Newfoundland & Labrador.
Hashim Ahmed — Chief Financial Officer
Hashim Ahmed brings 25 years of finance, corporate strategy and capital markets experience to New Found Gold. He has held senior financial and executive positions across the mining industry, including most recently as executive vice-president and CFO at Mandalay Resources. His background spans royalty, mid-tier and senior gold companies. Mr. Ahmed obtained his CA/CPA designation with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
Robert Assabgu — Chief Operating Officer
Robert Assabgu is an experienced mining engineer with expertise in project management, engineering and operations. His career includes leadership roles at Inco/Vale and Hudbay Minerals, where he oversaw multiple mines, concentrators and technical services teams. He also played a key role at Reunion Gold on the Oko West project ahead of the G Mining Ventures acquisition. Mr. Assabgui holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mining and Mineral Engineering from McGill University in Montreal.
Fiona Childe — Vice-president, Communications and Corporate Development
Fiona Childe has more than 25 years of industry experience, beginning as an exploration geologist and later focusing on capital markets, corporate development and investor communications. Throughout her career, she has held senior management positions and consulted for mining companies, such as Mineros S.A. and Tau Capital Corp. with a primary focus on gold. Dr. Childe holds a Ph.D. in geology from the University of British Columbia and a professional geoscientist designation in Ontario.
Jared Saunders — Vice-president, Sustainability
Jared Saunders brings over two decades of experience in environmental science, regulatory compliance and stakeholder engagement. His background includes environmental leadership roles at Vale Newfoundland & Labrador and consulting project experience in environmental risk assessment and contaminated site management. Dr. Saunders holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences degree from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. He sits on the Board of Directors for Mining Industry, NL as Director – Exploration.
Jelena Novikov Fried — General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Jelena Novikov Fried has more than 20 years of legal experience in corporate, commercial and securities law. Prior to joining New Found Gold, she served as legal director, corporate and securities at lithium-ion battery recycler Li-Cycle, and practiced corporate and securities law with Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and Bennett Jones LLP. Ms. Novikov Fried holds a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.