Pensana Plc has appointed Karen Brown as Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective on 1 October 2025. She succeeds Rocky Smith, who will continue to support the company in a consulting capacity as part of the owner’s team developing the Longonjo Project in Angola.

Brown brings over two decades of experience in the rare earths industry, including a 21-year tenure as Managing Director at Neo Materials Chemicals & Oxides for Europe, part of Neo Performance Materials. The company is known for producing magnetic powders, rare earth magnets, magnetic assemblies, specialty chemicals, metals, and alloys.

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During her time at Neo, Brown was responsible for new product development and led international human capital strategies across manufacturing operations in Thailand, China, and the United States. She also played a key role in rare earth chemical engineering projects and oversaw the development of the company’s separation facility in Jiangyin, a central part of Neo’s global operations.

More recently, she has been working closely with Pensana as a consultant, particularly focusing on downstream operations and market strategy. This existing involvement has given her a strong understanding of Pensana’s goals and direction.

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Tim George, CEO of Pensana, commented, “Rocky’s expertise has contributed hugely to navigating the various project development stages over the past five years, and we are fortunate to retain his services going forward, while also giving him the well-deserved time to pursue family activities. I’m particularly pleased that Karen, who has already been advising us for the past year, will seamlessly assume the broader role of COO.”

Karen Brown added, “I am honoured to join Pensana as COO during such a pivotal stage of the Longonjo Project’s development. Drawing on my longstanding experience in rare earths and international operations, including working with multicultural teams across Asia, Europe, and the USA, I look forward to collaborating with the talented Pensana team to deliver operational excellence, expand market presence, and drive sustainable growth in this critical sector.”

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Pensana is currently progressing the development of its Longonjo rare earth project in Angola, aiming to become a leading supplier of key materials used in the clean energy and electric vehicle industries.