Valkea Resources Recruits Rupert Resources Veteran to Lead Finland Exploration Push

At the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference, Mining Stock Daily sat down with Thomas Credland, newly appointed President of Valkea Resources (TSX-V: OZ), following the company’s announcement of key board and management appointments. Credland brings deep experience from Finland’s modern gold discovery cycle, having previously played a central role at Rupert Resources, where a disciplined, geoscience-led exploration strategy led to the Ikkari discovery and helped transform Rupert into a billion-dollar company.In this conversation, Credland explains what attracted him to Valkea’s district-scale land position in Finland, why he personally invested in the company, and how the same systematic exploration philosophy used at Rupert will be applied to Valkea’s portfolio. He discusses the importance of consolidating historic datasets, building proprietary geological models, and using base-of-till drilling and modern geophysics to explore effectively in a glacially covered terrain with no surface exposure.The interview also covers Valkea’s strengthened board and technical bench, including Mark Turcotte (formerly of MAG Silver) and George Salamis, both of whom bring capital markets, M&A, and Finnish exploration experience. Credland outlines near-term milestones, funding strategy, and how Valkea is positioning itself to pursue tier-one or tier-two gold discoveries in a country still early in its gold exploration history—despite hosting some of Europe’s most technically advanced operating mines.Recorded January 28, 2026, at the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference.