Mr. David Waugh has over 40 years of progressive leadership experience in the potash sector in the areas of exploration, development, mine construction, and mine operations.
Appointed CEO of North Atlantic Potash Inc. (NAP) in 2011 and CEO and Director of CanPacific Potash Inc. in 2014. Mr. Waugh is currently tasked with evaluating and developing potash assets in Saskatchewan.
Prior to his appointment with NAP, Mr. Waugh was general mine manager and vice president of operations for the Mosaic Colonsay Company from 2006 to 2011. In this position he was responsible for managing all aspects of a 1.6 million ton underground potash mine in Saskatchewan. During this period Mr. Waugh lead two large expansions of the Colonsay operation including a $650 million project beginning in 2009.
From 1997 to 2006, Mr. Waugh was mine manager for the Mosaic Potash Carlsbad mine in New Mexico (formally IMC Potash Company) and was responsible for managing a 25,000 ore tons per day underground operation.
During Mr. Waugh’s tenure at the Mosaic Carlsbad operations he led the transition from drill & blast mining method to continuous miners for both the sylvite and langbeinite mining levels. Process improvements were achieved which enabled a 35% productivity gain, as well as a corresponding 60% reduction in accident frequency.
As President of Mineral Services Ltd. from 1991 to 1997, Mr. Waugh managed a consulting practice that supplied technical and management services to the exploration and mining industry. During this period, Mr. Waugh’s team completed technical and economic evaluations for IMC Global of potash properties in North American as well as international properties including locations in South America, Asia and Africa. Mr. Waugh also carried out long term mine planning, ore reserve calculations, mining project evaluations, and ground control investigations.
Mr. Waugh worked with Potacan Mining Company at their eastern Canada potash mine from 1979 through 1991. Potacan was owned by K + S of Germany and MDPA of France. During this period, he was involved with all aspects of exploration, feasibility, financing, and mine design through construction of the New Brunswick potash operation. During the production stage he managed the technical services group for the annual production of over 3,000,000 tonnes of ore and the hydraulic placement of 2,000,000 tonnes of tailings in a geologically complex deposit.
From 1972 to 1979, Mr. Waugh held a number of progressively senior roles in grassroots exploration and mining production with a number of leading organizations in the United States and Canada. This included being part of the team that discovered the potash deposits in New Brunswick, Canada which later became two producing mines.
Active in the community, Mr. Waugh has chaired the Saskatoon United Way Campaign, he was a director of the Saskatchewan Mining Association, President of the New Mexico Mining Association and has volunteered on a number of mining innovation, safety, and university engineering advisory boards in the United States and Canada.
During his career, Mr. Waugh has contributed to the knowledge and understanding of the geological nature of potash and potash bearing structures in a number of publications.