WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Appian Capital Advisory Limited (“Appian”), the investment advisor to long-term value-focused private capital funds investing in companies in metals, mining and adjacent industries, today announces the appointment of Brian Greeley as Chief Financial Officer, Critical Minerals, and the addition of Christopher Smith and Rear Admiral John Meier, U.S. Navy (Ret.) as Senior Advisors, as well as the establishment of a Washington, D.C. base, as it builds out its critical minerals portfolio to serve industrial and defense supply chains.

  • Appian appoints Brian Greeley, formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Banking Officer of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (“EXIM”); Christopher Smith, former Chief Government Affairs Officer at Ford Motor Company; and Rear Admiral John Meier, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
  • The appointments bring direct experience across export finance, industrial government affairs, public-private financing and defense procurement, complementing Appian’s in-house technical team as it advances its existing critical minerals portfolio, which has ~US$2.5 billion of planned development capital over the next five years
  • The additions strengthen Appian’s capabilities as it evaluates further critical minerals opportunities, helping ensure new investments are underwritten and structured to meet the specifications and offtake demands of industrial and defense supply chains
  • Appian has established a presence in Washington, D.C., reflecting the firm’s commitment to deepening its engagement with industrial, defense and policy stakeholders

The appointments come as governments and industrial partners across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia work to diversify critical minerals supply chains. Multilateral initiatives and domestic policies reflect a broader international push to build secure, diversified sources of rare earths, battery materials and industrial minerals that underpin industries supporting economic and national security.

The additions will support Appian’s global critical minerals portfolio as it advances toward production, spanning cobalt, copper, graphite, lithium, mineral sands, nickel and rare earth assets, with ~US$2.5 billion in planned development capital over the next five years. The portfolio includes Atlantic Strategic Minerals (“ASM”), a producing mineral sands operation and the largest minerals separation plant in North America, based in Virginia, U.S., building domestic rare earth processing capacity; Gippsland Critical Minerals (“GCM”), which owns the advanced-stage Fingerboards Project in Victoria, Australia, with the potential to provide 7.1% of the global supply of the heavy rare earths dysprosium and terbium (DyTb)1; Graphcoa and Allied Graphite, based in Brazil and the U.S. respectively, which together form a vertically integrated, mine-to-material graphite supply chain producing anode material for batteries; and U.S. Strategic Metals (“USSM”), building a fully integrated critical minerals recycling and production facility in the U.S., producing cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel.

Appian has ~US$5.0 billion2 in assets under management, supported by a team of ~100 experienced professionals, comprising geologists, engineers and metallurgists, focused on identifying technically and financially viable mining projects and creating value at the asset level. Since 2016, Appian has brought 12 mining projects into production and grown a global operating portfolio overseeing more than 13,000 employees.

As Appian identifies opportunities beyond its current asset base, the appointments will complement the firm’s in-house technical expertise, helping ensure any new investments are evaluated, financed and structured to meet end-market demand and government priorities. In parallel, Appian has established a presence in Washington, D.C., to serve its growing U.S. asset base and deepen engagement with industrial, defense and policy stakeholders.

Brian Greeley joins as Chief Financial Officer, Critical Minerals, from EXIM, where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Banking Officer. At Appian, he will be accountable for the critical minerals portfolio’s capitalization and offtake architecture, taking existing assets through to production and underwriting new acquisitions so they are financeable and deliverable against industrial and defense specifications.

Christopher Smith joins Appian after serving as Chief Government Affairs Officer at Ford Motor Company, where he led the automaker’s engagement with global political stakeholders on automotive, EV and supply chain policy. Before working at Ford, he was Senior Vice President for Policy, Government and Public Affairs at Cheniere Energy, the second-largest international LNG operator, and earlier served as Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. At Appian, he will advise on aligning the portfolio and new investments with industrial manufacturers’ policy and procurement priorities.

Rear Admiral John Meier, U.S. Navy (Ret.), comes to Appian following a 37-year career in the U.S. Navy. He most recently served as Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic and was previously the first commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. At Appian, he will advise on the commodity requirements of international defense supply chains, for both the current portfolio’s production and the evaluation of future strategic investments.

Michael W. Scherb, Founder and CEO of Appian, commented: “These appointments reflect the growing complexity of sourcing, financing and delivering critical minerals projects at the pace industrial and government customers now require. Brian, Christopher and Rear Admiral Meier bring direct experience in public-private financing, industrial policy and defense procurement that complements our in-house technical expertise, strengthening our ability to scale our portfolio in step with the partners who will rely on its supply. Mining is a highly technical industry, and without that expertise, organizations struggle to select and advance assets to reach production. Appian has the largest in-house technical team of any private capital investor in mining and is uniquely positioned to support not only asset selection but operatorship as well.”

Brian Greeley, Chief Financial Officer, Critical Minerals at Appian, added: “In my experience structuring financing for critical minerals projects at EXIM, I saw firsthand how aligning private capital with policy goals can accelerate projects to completion and meaningful production. Appian’s in-house technical expertise is a unique differentiator in the industry. I look forward to working closely with the team to advance existing projects and identify new ones that we can bring online on schedule to meet the offtake priorities recognized in-market. Private capital must play a significant role in building global critical mineral supply chains, and Appian is positioned to be at the forefront of this effort.”

For further information:

Appian Capital Advisory Limited:
Andrew Todd, Head of Communications: +44 7990 416759 / atodd@appiancapitaladvisory.com
+44 (0)20 7004 0951 / info@appiancapitaladvisory.com

About Appian Capital Advisory Limited
Appian Capital Advisory Limited is the investment advisor to long-term value-focused private capital funds that invest in companies in metals, mining, and adjacent industries.

Appian is a leading investment advisor with global experience across South America, North America, Australia and Africa and a successful track record of supporting companies in metals, mining, and adjacent industries to achieve their development targets, with a global operating portfolio overseeing over 13,000 employees.

Appian has a global team of ~100 experienced investment professionals, combining financial and technical expertise, with presences in London, Abu Dhabi, New York, Washington, D.C., Dubai, Belo Horizonte, Hong Kong, São Paulo and Toronto.

For more information, please visit www.appiancapitaladvisory.com or find us on LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter/X.

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1 Adamas Intelligence – Report for Fingerboards 2025
2 As of 31 August 2026. Assumes approximately US$1.0 billion of closed commitments to Appian EM Fund LP

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ae5b2465-f647-4d0d-aa03-39d47161ca48


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