Effective immediately, Stothart takes the helm from Anne Marie Toutant, who served in the roll since June 2017.

The MAC said Stothart brought his more than 30 years experience in the mining sector to the position and significant familiarity with the organisation, having been a dedicated participant on multiple committees, including the executive committee, over the past several years.

"Gordon is well versed in the many issues impacting Canada's mining sector having worked in the industry for decades and we feel extremely fortunate to have him on board," said CEO Pierre Gratton.

"We are particularly pleased to have him as chair given his familiarity with MAC's Towards Sustainable Mining initiative, as through his leadership at IAMGOLD, the company has been recognised multiple times over the past several years with TSM leadership awards and TSM excellence awards, the two most significant honours MAC bestows on companies in recognition of outstanding work in corporate responsibility in the Canadian mining sector."

Stothart has held the role of COO at IAMGOLD for the past 11 years. Prior to joining IAMGOLD, he worked for more than 20 years in the Noranda/Falconbridge/Xstrata organisations in a number of operations, projects and corporate roles in Canada, Peru, and Chile.

He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1987 with a double major in mining and mineral process engineering.

"Canada has long benefited from a prosperous minerals and metals industry, but we are not immune to global competitive forces, and cannot take the benefits and opportunities that mining offers Canadians for granted," Stothart said.

"We operate in a global context, and competition for investment is fierce. I look forward to playing a role in ensuring the mining sector is given the opportunity to reach its full potential in the years to come."