Our Leadership team
At Covalent Lithium, we are proud to be working together to achieve a cleaner energy future through renewable energy storage.
We are passionate about what we do and are committed to our shared values of purpose, care, accountability and collaboration. These values are driven by our leadership team and are integrated into core ways of working and engaging.
Stuart Macnaughton
Chief Executive Officer
Stuart is a global mining and processing executive with extensive experience across base metals and critical minerals operations.
He has held senior leadership roles with BHP and Vale, including Managing Director of the Goro Operations in New Caledonia and Vice President in Newfoundland and Labrador, where he oversaw the Voisey’s Bay mine and the start-up of the Long Harbour refinery.
Stuart also served as President of the Ambatovy Joint Venture in Madagascar, leading a large multinational workforce through complex operational and external challenges. Most recently, Stuart operated an independent consulting practice, supporting companies with complex mining projects and operations.
Stuart holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and a PhD from the University of New South Wales.
Adam Sofoulis
Chief Financial Officer
Adam Sofoulis contributes 25 years of finance experience to support Covalent Lithium’s growth in the global lithium market and the Mt Holland lithium project.
His career includes senior finance roles at Bunnings, Wesfarmers, and Deloitte, where he developed skills in financial strategy, risk management, and operational efficiency. At Bunnings and Wesfarmers, he managed complex financial portfolios, while his time at Deloitte focused on strategic assurance and advisory, supporting large-scale operations.
A Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Adam holds a degree from Curtin University, Adam is committed to advancing Covalent Lithium’s role in sustainable lithium production.
Albert Romano
General Manager, Refinery
Albert is an experienced senior manager with more than 30 years experience across a number of integrated production businesses, each with a unique market positioning. Albert originally joined Covalent as Manager Commissioning and Technical and was heavily involved in the design of the refinery. Prior to joining Covalent, Albert held senior roles in WesCEF over 30 years.
Albert is Vice President of the Kwinana Industries Council, of which he has been a board member for the past 12 years. Albert holds degrees in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry.
Andrew Kozlowski
General Manager, Health Safety, Environment, Community (HSEC)
Andrew is a qualified Minerals Engineer with over 25 years industry experience in metalliferous processing and HSEC leadership roles. He has worked in multiple organisations, commodities and jurisdictions in the mining industry and most recently worked in the power generation industry.
He brings a proven record of delivering sustainable improvement across all aspects of HSEC by building effective strategies, trusted partnerships, and high performing teams.
Erik Laurent
General Manager, Mt Holland Operations
Erik brings 30 years of experience in the resources industry with a strong focus on operational leadership across Lithium, Nickel, Copper, Gold and Alumina. His career has spanned Australian operations in WA and Queensland as well as international roles at mine sites in Laos, Peru and Kazakhstan.
After spending the first 10 years of his career with WMC Resources, he has worked for such companies as BHP, Minara Resources, First Quantum Minerals and MMG Limited. He has held senior management positions during the commissioning and ramp-up of both brownfield and greenfield operations, including roles as Processing Manager, Operations Readiness Manager and General Manager.
Most recently he was the GM Operations at the TLEA Lithium Refinery in Kwinana and prior to that worked at the Mt Cattlin Lithium Mine for Galaxy Resources.
Erik holds a degree in Chemical Engineering, an MBA (Tech Mgt) and a Diploma in Project Management.
Amanda Stewart
General Manager, People and Culture
Amanda is an experienced Human Resources leader with diverse industry experience, commencing her career within Resources and Engineering before more recently holding senior leadership roles within WA Health, Higher Education, and Woolworths Limited.
Amanda brings significant change leadership and transformation experience, with a strong ability to build relationships that enable collaboration with business leaders to design and implement effective people strategies to support business outcomes in complex organisations.
Elana Williams
General Manager, Technical
Elana is a proactive technical leader with experience in the mining, mineral processing, and chemical industries. Her career spans roles in operations, consulting, and business development, showcasing her versatility and expertise.
Elana’s most recent role was in Business Development within Wesfarmers Chemical, Energy, and Fertilisers. Her responsibilities included the technical, operational, and commercial assessment and execution of growth opportunities for the division. Additionally, she played a pivotal role in representing Wesfarmers’ shareholder interests in Covalent, collaborating closely with Covalent and SQM representatives from the project’s inception in 2019.
Elana holds a degree in Chemical Engineering.
Annabel Hardy
Manager, Legal
Annabel has a range of legal experience across multiple areas of the law in both private practice and in-house. She has appeared in the Warden’s Court, Magistrates Court, District Court, Supreme Court, and Supreme Court of Appeal.
Annabel is passionate about the practice of law, particularly construction law. Commercially savvy and detail-oriented, Annabel works closely with the team across the business to deliver the best results for Covalent.
Annabel holds a Master of Construction Law from Melbourne Law School, a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Notre Dame Fremantle, and multiple other qualifications from some of Australia’s leading universities.