Our management team
Our management team
Champion Iron experts share a single mission:
responsible and carefully planned profitability
Michael O’keeffe, B AppSc (Metallurgy)
Executive Chairman and Former Chief Executive Officer
Michael O’Keeffe is a founder and Executive Chairman of Champion Iron, having been appointed to the role in August 2013. He served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer until April 2019. A qualified metallurgist, Mr. O’Keeffe began his career in 1975 with MIM Holdings, where he held a variety of senior operating positions and advanced to Executive Management in commercial activities. In 1995, he became Managing Director of Glencore Australia (Pty) Limited, a position he held until July 2004.
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Mr. O’Keeffe was also the founder and Executive Chairman of Riversdale Mining Limited and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Burgundy Diamond Mines Ltd.
David Cataford, Eng.
Chief Executive Officer and Director
David Cataford joined Champion Iron in 2014. He held the position of Chief Operating Officer before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Company in 2019. Mr. Cataford steered the recovery of assets, the restart of the Bloom Lake Mine and today, with the support of a team of over 1,300 employees, he leads all of the Company’s growth projects. Under his leadership, Champion Iron has forged a strong position in the green steel supply chain, building on a trust-based partnership with First Nations communities.
Prior to joining Champion Iron, he held various management positions with other mining companies operating in the Labrador Trough, including Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. and ArcelorMittal. He was also co-founder and president of the North Shore and Labrador Mineral Processing Society. Mr. Cataford holds a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering from Université Laval. His career path has earned him several awards, including the Young Mining Professionals Award and the Brendan Woods International Top Gun CEO Award.
Learn more about Mr. Cataford »
Mr. Cataford holds a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering from Université Laval. His career path has earned him several awards, including the Young Mining Professionals Award and the Brendan Woods International Top Gun CEO Award.
Alexandre Belleau, Eng.
Chief Operating Officer
Alexandre Belleau joined Champion Iron in 2016. As Chief Operating Officer, he oversees many of the Company’s sectors – logistics, operations, exploration and projects, which benefit from his expertise in business development and project management. Driven by a constant desire to innovate and push back boundaries, he fully contributes to the organization’s growth while creating value for employees, host communities, partners and shareholders.
Prior to joining Champion Iron, he participated in the creation of two startups specializing in building control technologies and bioenergy. He also worked in the energy efficiency and recreational products sectors. Mr. Belleau holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Université de Sherbrooke and is an executive member of the Québec Mining Association since 2018.
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Mr. Belleau holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Université de Sherbrooke and is an executive member of the Québec Mining Association since 2018.
Donald Tremblay, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Donald Tremblay joined Champion Iron in 2022 as Chief Financial Officer. With over 25 years of extensive experience in finance and the mining industry, he has developed strategic skills in capital markets, investor relations and corporate development, which complement his experience in accounting, taxation, controls and compliance.
He previously held similar positions with private and publicly traded companies, including Iron Ore Company of Canada, TransAlta Corporation and Brookfield Renewable Power.
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Mr. Tremblay is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Université du Québec en Outaouais.
Steve Boucratie
Senior Vice-President - General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Steve Boucratie joined Champion Iron in May 2019 as Vice-President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.
He brings more than 19 years of legal and transactional experience to the team. He previously served as Director, Legal Affairs and Assistant Corporate Secretary for Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd. Prior to Osisko, he was a partner of the law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, where he practiced corporate law.
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Mr. Boucratie holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from HEC Montréal, a bachelor’s degree in law from Université de Montréal and a postgraduate diploma (DESS) in common law and transnational law from Université de Sherbrooke.
Michael Marcotte, CFA
Senior Vice-President - Corporate Development and Capital Markets
Michael Marcotte joined Champion Iron in 2018 as Vice-President of Investor Relations, and was promoted to Senior Vice-President of Corporate Development and Capital Markets in 2021. He was formerly Vice-President and Partner at Orion Financial Inc. for 15 years, which was later acquired by Macquarie Capital Markets Canada Ltd. During this time, he focused on natural resources equities with institutional investors across North America and Europe. His previous experience includes natural resource equity research at various institutional asset managers.
He received the TopGun award by Brendan Wood International as a leading institutional sales professional in 2017 and 2018, then as a leading global investor relations representative in 2023. He also served for several years on the Board of Directors of Ruelle de l’Avenir, a non-profit organization contributing to the learning and academic success of young people in greater Montréal.
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Mr. Marcotte is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), a Calvin C. Potter Fellow and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration (BAA) from Concordia University.
Angela Kourouklis, CRIA, MBA, ASC, C.Dir.
Senior Vice-President - Human Resources
Angela Kourouklis joined Champion Iron in August 2021 as Senior Vice-President, Human Resources. Through the implementation of a company-wide leadership development program, her strong commitment to First Nations relations and the alignment of the organization’s people strategies, she fully contributes to Champion Iron’s corporate culture.
Prior to joining Champion Iron, she worked in various sectors such as manufacturing, aerospace, hospitality, retail and media. With over 20 years of experience in human resources management, her human touch enables her to foster engagement, innovation and creativity as she positions people at the heart of the Company in a context of significant growth.
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Ms. Kourouklis also serves as Chair of COREM’s Board of Directors. Ms. Kourouklis holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Relations from the Université de Montréal, an MBA from UQAM and an EMBA from the Université Paris Dauphine – PSL. She is also certified as a Corporate Director (ASC) by Université Laval’s Collège des administrateurs de sociétés and Chartered Directors (C.Dir.) from The Directors College.
François Lavoie, Eng.
Senior Vice-President, Sales, Technical Marketing and Product Development
François Lavoie joined Champion Iron as Chief Metallurgist in 2017 and contributed to the Bloom Lake Mine recommissioning in 2018.
Promoted to Senior Vice-President, Sales, Technical Marketing and Product Development in July 2024, he actively participates and contributes to growth projects, strategic partnerships, and corporate planning.
In recognition of his outstanding early career achievements in mineral processing, the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) awarded him the Bill Moore Special Achievement Award in 2022. He was also a founding member of the Canadian Mineral Processors (CMP) Côte-Nord and Labrador chapter and served as its president for over 5 years.
Mr. Lavoie holds a bachelor’s degree in metallurgy from Université Laval. Prior to joining Champion Iron in 2017, he developed his expertise in various technical and operational roles in the iron ore industry, including with Cliffs Natural Resources, Arcelor Mittal, BBA Inc., and Soutex Inc.
