07:20 AM EDT, 10/24/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Defense Metals ( DFMTF ) overnight Thursday announced the appointment of Ali Mahdavi as senior vice president, Corporate Development.

Mahdavi, who has over 30 years of experience in the capital markets focusing on the rare earth industry, is the founder and managing director of Spinnaker Capital Markets, a Toronto based capital markets advisory firm.

Before joining Defense Metals ( DFMTF ), Mahdavi was SVP, Corporate Development and Capital Markets, at Neo Performance Materials ( NOPMF ) , where he spent more than 20 years.

"As we continue to advance our Wicheeda critical minerals project, we are delighted with the addition of Ali to the Defense Metals ( DFMTF ) management team," said president and chief executive officer Mark Tory. "Ali's role will focus on maximising our exposure to investors and analysts, and identifying, evaluating and executing corporate opportunities for Defense."