Brazilian gold producer Serabi Gold has bolstered its leadership team with the appointment of Marcus Brewster as Chief Operating Officer in January 2025, bringing a wealth of international mining experience to the company’s operations in the Amazon’s gold-rich Tapajós region.
Brewster’s arrival comes at a strategic time for Serabi as the company evolves from a single-asset producer into a regional mining company with expanding operations across Brazil’s Para state. What
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Brazilian gold producer Serabi Gold has bolstered its leadership team with the appointment of Marcus Brewster as Chief Operating Officer in January 2025, bringing a wealth of international mining experience to the company’s operations in the Amazon’s gold-rich Tapajós region.
Brewster’s arrival comes at a strategic time for Serabi as the company evolves from a single-asset producer into a regional mining company with expanding operations across Brazil’s Para state. What distinguishes this leadership transition is the remarkably smooth integration, which Brewster describes as “probably one of the easiest onboarding exercises I’ve ever had with a company.”
This seamless transition stems from Brewster’s deep existing relationships with Serabi’s operational team. Current General Manager Kilser Cardoso previously served as Brewster’s mining manager at Troy Resources for three years, while connections with the exploration manager date back to Brewster’s time at Goldfields in Brazil. These pre-established relationships have allowed Brewster to hit the ground running, eliminating the typical adjustment period that often accompanies senior management changes.
Brewster brings a balanced operational background to Serabi, with what he describes as “50-50 open pit underground” experience across multiple continents. His career trajectory includes progressive leadership roles at Troy Resources in Brazil, Damang Mine in Ghana, and Endeavour Mining’s Houndé Gold Operation in Burkina Faso. This diverse international experience, combined with specialized knowledge of Brazilian mining operations, provides Serabi with valuable operational flexibility.
Particularly significant is Brewster’s recent experience as COO at Tristar Gold, operating approximately 200 kilometers from Serabi’s assets in similar paleoplastic geology. This direct regional familiarity has proven invaluable for understanding the unique challenges and opportunities of mining in the Tapajós.
Operating in the remote Amazon presents distinct challenges that Brewster is well-positioned to address. Logistics remains the primary constraint, with Brewster noting it takes three days to travel from the UK to the mine site. However, recent infrastructure improvements, particularly the paving of federal highway BR 163, have significantly enhanced access during the region’s challenging wet seasons.
Workforce development represents another key focus area in a region with limited underground mining tradition. Brewster’s approach mirrors Serabi’s established philosophy of identifying individuals with transferable skills from industries like trucking and equipment operation, then developing mining-specific capabilities through comprehensive training programs.
Brewster’s operational philosophy emphasizes systematic execution and grade quality. “Grade is king for us,” he states, maintaining operational discipline despite higher gold prices that often tempt operations to process lower-grade material. This focus aligns perfectly with Serabi’s high-grade strategy and technological approach, which utilizes ore sorting to maximize value from processed material.
The company’s innovative ore-sorting technology enables a unique 250-kilometer ore trucking model. By removing 40-50% of waste material at the Coringa operation before transport, Serabi creates a pre-concentrated product suitable for long-distance transport to its Palito processing plant. This approach eliminates the need for separate processing facilities at satellite operations, reducing environmental footprint while maximizing operational efficiency.
On the environmental front, Serabi’s approach extends beyond regulatory compliance. The company actively remediates historical damage from illegal mining operations by filling mining holes, applying topsoil, and implementing revegetation programs. With 70% of the workforce drawn from local communities, Serabi creates direct economic benefits while building stakeholder support through infrastructure maintenance, school programs, and local procurement initiatives.
Looking forward, Brewster sees significant growth potential in the Tapajós region, noting that “some estimates of 40 million ounces being mined from this region, largely by the illegal and small-scale miners” demonstrate the substantial gold endowment awaiting systematic development by formal mining operations.
The success of Serabi’s trucking model creates scalability for additional satellite operations within the 250-kilometer radius of existing processing capacity. This hub-and-spoke approach leverages infrastructure investments while minimizing environmental impacts through centralized processing.
For investors, Brewster’s appointment represents continuity and enhancement of Serabi’s operational capabilities rather than disruption. His international experience combined with Brazil-specific knowledge creates immediate operational value while positioning the company for regional expansion in one of South America’s most promising gold districts.
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