She has participated in the start-up of both junior exploration companies and mining services companies, assisting with their corporate development and financing through the companies’ growth stages:  assisting with IPOs, negotiating Joint Venture or other value accretive transactions, supporting investor relations, and supervising/ overseeing accounting, auditing.  

She has served on the boards of junior mining companies, and as an officer in the capacity of Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Corporate Development, including founder, director and CFO of AQM Copper Inc., with projects in Peru and Chile between 2005 and 2012.  

Ms. Ashton has collaborated with an extensive international network of professionals and service providers related to the mineral sector.  While based in Santiago Chile, she was a regular contributor to opinion columns in the magazine, “Minería Chilena”. Stephanie is a graduate of Cal Poly State University for International business, holds a Master’s degree in International Tax and Legal Strategy from Hautes Etudes Commerciales, Paris, France, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Mineral Economics from the Universidad of Chile, Santiago, Chile.  She is fluent in Spanish, French and English.