Lithium Americas appoints new non-exec chairman, director

Lithium Americas Corp. (TSE:LAC) reported on Monday that it has appointed W. Thomas Hodgson as non-executive chairman of the board and John Kanellitsas as a board director.
Since January of last year, Hodgson has been director of Lithium Americas and is senior partner and chairman of Greenbrook Capital Partners, a financial advisory firm. He has over 20 years experience in capital markets research and consulting.
Currently, he is a director of Helix Biopharma Corp (TSE:HBP)and Liberty Silver Corp. (OTC:LBSV). Hodgson has also held senior positions with U.K. companies and Canadian financial institutions including the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Central Guaranty Trust, where he served as president and CEO.
Hodgson will succeed Basil Botha as chairman, who had decided to pursue other interests, the company said.
Meanwhile, John Kanellitsas, chief operating officer of Geologic Resource Partners, the company’s largest shareholder, will fill Botha's director position.
Kanellitsas has worked in financial markets and asset management for over 20 years, with positions at investment banks and money management firms in San Francisco, New York and Sun Valley, Idaho.
He presently serves as co-chairman of the board of Kiska Metals (CVE:KSK).
Lithium Americas is developing one of the world's largest and lowest cost lithium operations. The company's principal property comprises a significant portion of two adjacent Argentinean salt lakes, Cauchari and Olaroz, covering 82,498 hectares in the "Lithium Triangle" region of South America. The region contains over 80% of the world's lithium brine reserves.