The Empire Club of Canada
Hybrid
Monday, April 27, 2026
The shifting geopolitical landscape has created new imperatives for Canada’s prosperity — chief among them, effectively leveraging our abundant natural resources for strategic advantage. To compete globally, industry and government must work together to strengthen sectors that differentiate Canada in world markets and drive trade diversification. From gold and iron to critical minerals such as nickel, lithium, and cobalt, our mining sector underpins energy transition strategies and the technologies that define the modern economy.
Realizing the potential of our resources requires overcoming persistent challenges: lengthy permitting, steep capital demands, labour shortages, and significant infrastructure gaps.
On Monday April 27, join The Empire Club of Canada as Robert Peterman, Chief Commercial Officer Toronto Stock Exchange and Global Capital Formation, TMX Group, moderates a timely discussion between prominent mining leaders — Tony Makuch, President & CEO of Discovery Silver Corp; Mario Grossi, President & CEO of Technica Mining; and Shastri Ramnath, CEO of Exiro Minerals — for an in-depth discussion on what it will take to position Canada as a global superpower in resource supply and manufacturing, powering defence, EVs, clean energy, and advanced industry — fueling both today’s resilience and tomorrow’s competitive edge.
Tony Makuch is a highly respected mining executive with more than 35 years of experience leading and building successful mining companies. He is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Discovery, where he is focused on growing the company into a leading precious metals producer.
Mr. Makuch previously served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Kirkland Lake Gold, where he led one of the most remarkable growth stories in the gold sector. During his five years as CEO, Kirkland Lake Gold increased annual production from approximately 315,000 ounces to more than 1.4 million ounces and grew its market capitalization from roughly $1 billion to more than $13 billion, while delivering a more than 530 percent increase in share price. This transformation was driven by strategic acquisitions, strong operational performance, and exploration success, culminating in the company’s merger with Agnico Eagle Mines in 2022.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Makuch held senior leadership roles at Lake Shore Gold, FNX Mining, Dynatec Corporation, and Kinross Gold, where he gained extensive experience across operations, project development, and corporate leadership.
Mr. Makuch is a Professional Engineer and holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Earth Sciences from the University of Waterloo, along with a Master of Science in Engineering and an MBA from Queen’s University. He also holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors at the Rotman School of Management.
Mario Grossi is a Canadian mining executive and industry builder best known for helping shape one of the country’s leading privately owned mine contracting firms. As the leader behind Technica Mining, he has helped define a modern model for mine contracting—built on operational excellence, innovation, and a strong, values-driven culture.
With decades of experience in underground mining operations, construction, and project development, Mario has led the delivery of complex projects across Canada. Under his leadership, Technica has become a trusted partner to major mining companies, recognized for executing safely, efficiently, and at scale in demanding underground environments.
Mario is passionate about advancing Canadian mining through innovation, mechanization, and the training of the next generation of skilled trades and mining professionals. He is a strong advocate for workforce development and meaningful partnerships—including Indigenous participation in mine development. He believes culture is the industry’s ultimate competitive advantage and is committed to building unified, high-performance teams.
Shastri Ramnath is the Co-Founder and CEO of Exiro Nickel, which recently announced the acquisition of the Thompson Nickel Belt Operations from Vale, an important step in strengthening Canada’s role as a secure and responsible supplier of nickel.
She began her career in nickel exploration at Falconbridge and FNX Mining as part of the exploration and resource team. Shastri is also Chair and Co-Founder of Orix Geoscience and serves on the boards of several mining companies, with a strong track record of building and leading successful organizations.
Robert Peterman is Chief Commercial Officer at Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV).He is responsible for domestic and international activities for TSX and TSXV across new corporate listings and Exchange Traded Funds and Products.
His group also covers capital development and support for all TSX and TSXV issuers. Combined, the exchanges are home to over 3,400 public issuers.
During 2025, over 350 companies and ETFs went public on TSX and TSXV and over $30B of equity capital was raised. The total market capitalization of TSX and TSXV is $6.3T, making TSX one of the largest exchanges in the world for raising equity capital and attracting corporate listings. Robert completed his MBA at the Richard Ivey School of Business. Prior to working at TMX, Robert worked in Corporate Strategy for a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management.
He was a member of the Ivey Entrepreneurship Council. Currently he is also a Director for SVX (Social Venture Exchange), formerly a joint venture between TMX Group and MARS
