About Us

Mark Ayranto is an accomplished mining executive with a demonstrated history of success in building and leading high-performing mining organizations. With deep experience spanning exploration, mine development, finance, and operations, Mark is uniquely positioned to drive growth and value creation at Silverco. As Chief Operating Officer at Victoria Gold, he was instrumental in advancing the Eagle Gold Mine from exploration through construction and operations, contributing to a dramatic increase in market capitalization from $8 million to over $1 billion at its peak.  

This team accomplishment was recognized with the AME’s 2021 EA Scholz Award for excellence in mine development, of which Mr. Ayranto was a key member. Mark is the founder and former chair of Banyan Gold.  He also served as President of the Yukon Chamber of Mines and Chair of the Yukon Mineral Advisory Board. 

Nico is a mining engineer with extensive experience with both open pit and underground operations. A graduate of the University of British Columbia with a Mining Engineering degree, he brings extensive experience in gold, copper, and coal operations, across large-scale open pit and underground settings. He was head of technical services at Victoria Gold and Underground Mine Engineer at the Minto mine.

Ms. Hassan is a registered Professional Engineer (Ontario) with 20 years of industry experience encompassing mine operations, project development, and capital markets. Ms. Hassan most recently served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development at SilverCrest Metals Inc., a Mexican gold-silver underground operator, At SilverCrest she played an integral role in securing more than US$250 million in debt and equity financing to support mine construction and in the US$1.5 billion sale of the company to Coeur Mining in October 2024. Prior to that, she spent a significant portion of her career as a ranked equity research analyst covering the precious metals sector. Earlier in her career, she worked as a mining engineer in underground and open-pit operations for Inco and Placer Dome. She currently serves as a director for Orezone Gold Corporation and Americas Gold and Silver Corporation and previously served on the board of Maverix Metals Inc. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering from Queen's University.

Ms. Avila is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) with over a decade of experience as a senior finance executive. Most recently, she served as the Chief Financial Officer for JDS Energy & Mining Inc. from 2015 to 2025. During her tenure at JDS, she oversaw company-wide financial operations, spearheaded major merger and acquisition transactions, and implemented capital and lending structures that supported international operations. Her extensive global background also includes corporate banking, underwriting, and analyst roles with the Business Development Bank of Canada, Scotiabank in Chile and Mexico, and Export Development Canada. Ms. Avila holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Ottawa and is fluent in English, Spanish, and French.

Mr. Paspalas is a highly accomplished mining executive with over 40 years of experience in the industry. He most recently served as CEO of MAG Silver Corp. where he oversaw development, construction, and operation of the Juanicipio underground gold-silver mine in Mexico before the successful sale of the company to Pan American Silver Corp. for US$2.1 billion in September 2025. Prior to MAG Silver Corp. he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Aurizon Mines Ltd. until its sale to Hecla Mining Co. for nearly US$800 million. He also brings over 14 years of senior management experience working at Silver Standard Resources Inc. and Placer Dome Inc. Additionally, he serves on the Kinross Board and was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of Endeavour Silver Corp.

Dr. Velador holds a Doctorate from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in epithermal deposits and has over 25 years of experience in near mine, brownfields, and greenfields exploration in various hydrothermal deposit types and regions. He has played a key role in the discovery or expansion of numerous notable projects in Mexico, including Panuco, La Pitarrilla, Juanicipio (discovery of Valdecañas Vein), and Santa Elena (discovery of Ermitaño deposit). Most recently he was Chief Geologist and Vice President of Exploration at Vizsla Silver Corp. where he was instrumental in developing and leading the exploration strategy that more than tripled Panuco's total silver equivalent resources over three years. Prior to his success at Vizsla, Dr. Velador also served as Vice President Exploration at Outcrop Silver and Gold Corp., Corporate Manager Brownfields Exploration for Fortuna Silver Mines Inc., Exploration Director for First Majestic Silver Corp., and as a Senior and Project geologist for a number of companies including Industrias Peñoles, S.A.B. de C.V., Silver Standard Resources Inc. (now SSR Mining Inc.), Fresnillo plc, and Hochschild Mining plc. Dr. Velador started his career prospecting and mapping various types of hydrothermal deposits in the Mexican Altiplano and the Sierra Madre Occidental, the host of Silverco's Cusi project, and also led exploration programs in skarn and carbonate replacement deposit ("CRD") districts in Mexico, similar to the host system of Silverco's La Negra mine. In addition to his extensive work in Mexico he has also led programs in Argentina, Colombia, and Peru.

Dr. Velador is currently a director at Corcel Exploration Inc. and a Technical Advisor at Pacifica Silver Corp.