REG - Hamak Strategy Ltd. - Leadership Changes and Advisory Board Appointments

Hamak StrategyAnnouncement

04/02/2026 07:00

For best results when printing this announcement, please click on link below:
https://newsfile.refinitiv.com/getnewsfile/v1/story?guid=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20260204:nRSD6023Ra&default-theme=true

RNS Number : 6023R  Hamak Strategy Limited  04 February 2026

 

 

 

 

 

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY IN OR INTO AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA,
THE UNITED STATES, ANY TERRITORY OR POSSESSION THEREOF OR ANY OTHER
JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS
OF SUCH JURISDICTION.

 

4 February 2026

 

Hamak Strategy Limited

("Hamak" or the "Company")

 

Leadership Changes and Advisory Board Appointments

 

Hamak Strategy Limited (LSE: HAMA / OTCQB: HASTF) a company combining
traditional gold exploration in Africa with a Digital Asset Treasury
Management strategy announces new appointments to its Board and Advisory Board
and the restructuring of its executive management team.

 

Summary:

·      Karl Smithson appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Executive
Director

·      Mike Murphy appointed as Executive Director and Chief Strategy
Officer

·      James Cable appointed Chief Financial Officer and Company
Secretary

·      Nicola Horlick and Martin Lampshire to remain as interim
Non-Executive Chair and Non-Executive Director respectively

·      Steven Poulton appointed as Gold Strategy Advisor

·      Tim Franks appointed as Treasury Strategy Advisor

 

Karl Smithson, CEO and Executive Director, commented:

"Hamak continues to strengthen its board and management team as we advance our
unique strategy of pursuing high quality gold projects in West Africa,
supported by a dual and balanced treasury policy of owning Bitcoin and
physical gold.

 

"The restructuring of the team and the appointment of Mike Murphy as an
Executive Director will lead to greater focus and efficiency with improved and
more proactive shareholder interaction and communication.

 

"Separately, the appointments of Steven and Tim to advise the Board on our
gold strategy and treasury policy respectively, further strengthens our
leadership team. Working closely with management, they will help assess gold
exploration, development and mining opportunities and drive innovative value
creation from our balance sheet as we continue to build long-term shareholder
value.

 

"Having founded Hamak and steered the Company through its IPO in 2022, I am
delighted to resume the role of CEO as we enter a new growth phase with a
clear strategy in place. I am fully committed to executing our strategy and
realising significant returns for shareholders."

 

Mike Murphy, Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer, commented:

"I am delighted to step into the role of Chief Strategy Officer at Hamak
Strategy. This appointment builds naturally on the experience I have gained
throughout my career, partnering with organisations to define direction, drive
growth, and turn complex challenges into clear, actionable strategies.

 

"I am looking forward to working closely with the team to shape the firm's
long-term vision, strengthen its market position, and deliver lasting value
for the Company and its shareholders."

 

About the Appointments:

Karl Smithson is a qualified geologist, MBA and fellow of the Institute of
Materials, Minerals & Mining. He will be responsible for the gold
exploration and development activities and the general day to day management
of the Company, and will be working closely with Mike Murphy on the broader
corporate strategy, IR and PR.  He has over 30 years of resources experience
in Africa, with the last 20 years in West Africa.

 

Mike Murphy is a seasoned City of London veteran with over 35 years'
experience of working in a plethora of financial services firms. He worked at
Citigroup, Robert Flemings, Barclays de Zoete Wedd and Lehman Brothers as a
Global Equity Trader before going on to create and run several brokerages
including Eden Financial and Novus Capital Markets. He was then Vice-Chairman
of the Supervisory Board of Varengold Bank AG for four years before helping a
number of companies across a variety of industry sectors in a senior advisory
and consulting capacity. He is the co-founder of Hamak Strategy Ltd. and the
founder of Ethtry Plc.

 

James Cable is a chartered accountant and highly experienced corporate
executive in the junior resources sector. He has been Corporate Secretary of
Hamak since the Company's IPO and is now taking a broader role in the
financial management and reporting of the Company.

 

Steven Poulton is an economic geologist with over 25 years' experience in the
mining sector with a focus on Africa. He brings expertise in strategy,
governance, and capital markets, having co-founded and led multiple listed and
private companies as well as investment vehicles. Most recently he was
Executive Chairman and co-founder of Elemental Altus Royalties (now
Nasdaq-listed Elemental Royalties). Steven is the founder of Adit Capital, an
investor and advisor to high-growth potential companies on critical
transactions, capital strategy, and risk management. Steven holds an MSc in
Mining Geology from the Camborne School of Mines (University of Exeter). He is
a co-founder of the Oxford Mining Club and a fellow of the Institute of
Materials, Minerals & Mining and of the Geological Society of London.

 

Tim Franks is an experienced finance and digital asset professional with over
25 years' experience in investment banking and over 6 years' in digital
assets. He has been involved in hundreds of placements and IPOs globally. He
has held various roles in London and Hong Kong across equities, fixed income,
FX, and derivatives, working for firms including Citigroup, HSBC, and Bank of
China. Currently CFO and COO at Altenburg Capital which focuses on crypto
lending, derivatives and other strategies. Tim holds a BSc Hons from Imperial
College at Wye College and is a member of the CFA Institute.

 

The Company expects to announce a new Chairperson to complete the new Board
and team in the near future.

 

For the purposes of UK MAR, the person responsible for arranging release of
this announcement on behalf of Hamak is Karl Smithson, CEO and Executive
Director.

 

For further information on Hamak you are invited to view the company's website
at https://hamakstrategy.com/ (https://hamakstrategy.com/) or please contact:

 

 Hamak Strategy Limited

 Karl Smithson, CEO and Executive Director   k.smithson@hamakstrategy.com (mailto:k.smithson@hamakstrategy.com)

 Mike Murphy, Executive Director             m.murphy@hamakstrategy.com (mailto:m.murphy@hamakstrategy.com)

 AlbR Capital Limited (Corporate Broker)     +44 (0) 20 7469 0930

 Yellow Jersey PR                            +44 (0) 20 3004 9512

 Annabelle Wills

 

About Hamak Strategy Limited

Hamak Strategy Limited (LSE: HAMA / OTCQB: HASTF) is a UK listed company
focussed on gold exploration in Africa and with a strategy of pursuing an
appropriate and compliant BTC / crypto treasury management policy.

 

Important Notice

The Company maintains some of its treasury reserves and surplus cash in
Bitcoin, a form of cryptocurrency. The Company is not authorised or regulated
by The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Bitcoin investments are generally
not subject to regulation by the FCA or otherwise in the United Kingdom.
Neither the Company nor investors in the Company's shares are protected by the
UK's Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation
Scheme.

 

However, the FCA considers Bitcoin investments to be high-risk. The value of
Bitcoin can go up as well as down, leading to fluctuations in the value of the
Company's Bitcoin holdings, and the Company may not be able to realise its
Bitcoin holdings for the same amount it paid to acquire them, or even for the
value the Company currently attributes to its Bitcoin positions.

The Company's Board of Directors have identified the following risks in
relation to the holding of Bitcoin, which are not exhaustive:

 

•           The value of Bitcoin can be highly volatile, with its
value falling as quickly as it rises. Investors in Bitcoin must be prepared to
lose all money invested.

•           The Bitcoin market is largely unregulated. There is a
risk of losing money due to factors such as cyber-attacks, financial crime,
and counterparty failure.

•           The Company may not be able to sell its Bitcoin at
will. The ability to sell Bitcoin depends on various factors, including the
supply and demand in the market at the relevant time. Operational failings
such as technology outages, cyber-attacks, and comingling of funds could cause
unwanted delays.

•           Cryptoassets carry a perception of fraud, money
laundering, and financial crime.

 

An investment in the Company is not an investment in Bitcoin itself, but
prospective investors in the Company are encouraged to conduct their own
research before investing and should be aware that they will have indirect
exposure to the high-risk nature of cryptoassets, including their volatility,
and could therefore sustain large or total losses of their investment.

 

 

 

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact
rns@lseg.com (mailto:rns@lseg.com)
 or visit
www.rns.com (http://www.rns.com/)
.

RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our
Privacy Policy (https://www.lseg.com/privacy-and-cookie-policy)
.   END  BOAEAEADEFAKEAA



            Copyright 2019 Regulatory News Service, all rights reserved