New Beginnings
Date/Time: Monday, November 2 | 10:15am
Location: Hudbay Stage
Exiro Nickel
Speaker: Shastri Ramnath, Exiro Nickel CEO
Speakers
Shastri Ramnaath, Exiro Nickel
Shastri Ramnath is an accomplished geoscientist, entrepreneur, and mining executive with over 25 years of global experience. She is the CEO of Exiro Nickel, the company that acquired the Thompson Nickel Belt Operations from Vale Base Metals in October 2026, one of the most significant transactions in the history of Manitoba’s mining industry.
Shastri, a proud Manitoban, began her career in nickel exploration with Falconbridge in the province before moving to Sudbury to join FNX Mining, where she was a key member of the exploration and resource team involved in the discovery of the Victoria and Morrison deposits. She later served as President and CEO of Bridgeport Ventures, a publicly listed company, before co-founding Orix Geoscience, a geological consulting firm with an office in Winnipeg that she continues to chair and co-own. She also founded and leads Exiro Minerals, the private exploration company from which Exiro Nickel was born, and currently serves on the board of Jaguar Mining.
Shastri holds a B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Manitoba, an M.Sc. in Exploration Geology from Rhodes University in South Africa, and an Executive MBA from Athabasca University. Her technical depth, entrepreneurial track record, and lifelong roots in the province position her to help lead Exiro Nickeltoward becoming a multi-generational mining business.
Chair
Ray Solski, Vale Thompson
Ray Solski is the Indigenous and Community Relations Specialist and Communications Advisor at Vale’s Thompson, Manitoba operations. With 17 years in the mining industry, Ray has progressed through roles in operations, supervision, learning & development, and safety & health. He now leads strategic engagement and communications initiatives.
Ray’s broad experience across operational and corporate functions gives him a well-rounded perspective on organizational effectiveness and stakeholder engagement. He is recognized for fostering respectful relationships with Indigenous communities and stakeholders, and for delivering inclusive, effective, and sustainable initiatives.
He is the co-chair of the Mining Association of Manitoba’s Indigenous Relations Committee and founder of the Rylen Solski Memorial Fishing Derby, a non-profit raising awareness of Kawasaki disease in partnership with Kawasaki Disease Canada. A proud Thompson resident, Ray enjoys outdoor activities and is actively raising his family in Manitoba’s North.