Founded in 2012 by Kimberly Darlington, Refined Substance is a bilingual (English and French) team of investor relations and marketing professionals, writers, editors, translators, and technical personnel who are all passionate about the mining industry. Together we have combined decades of expertise in mining with proven marketing and communications strategies from different industries.
We are proud members of the Prospector and Developers Association of Canada, the Quebec Mineral Exploration Association, the Canadian Investor Relations Institute, and Women in Mining Canada.
The Team
Kimberly Darlington, President and Founder
Kimberly has more than two decades of experience in the fields of marketing, communications, investor relations, and public relations across a wide variety of industries. In 2012, she turned her sights on applying her skills and experience to the mining industry and founded Refined Substance, a Montreal-based company that takes the substance of what mining and exploration companies seek to communicate and refines it so that it resonates with targeted audiences and stakeholders. The company offers strategic communications and marketing services tailored to the mining industry in both English and French.
Kimberly serves as a director for a number of non-profit boards, including that of the Quebec Mineral Exploration Association (QMEA/AEMQ), and is a past Chair of the Montreal chapter of Women in Mining, a global organization dedicated to the promotion and recognition of women pursuing careers in the mining sector.
Catherine Massicotte, Director of Public Relations
Catherine is an experienced manager and entrepreneur specializing in communications, public relations and marketing, with over 15 years of experience. After working in a variety of sectors, she recently joined the mining industry. Passionate about creating and optimizing projects, she excels at developing and managing teams while focusing on branding and strategy.
She has led numerous departments and managed complex projects, from strategic planning to investor relations management. Her expertise spans budget management, product development and the creation of strategic partnerships. Catherine is a charismatic leader recognized for her ability to achieve concrete results in dynamic environments.
Annemarie Brissenden, Director of Investor Relations
A Certified Professional in Investor Relations, Annemarie is passionate about empowering shareholders to make educated investment decisions. Her career has been largely focused in the resource sector, mainly with small- to mid-sized exploration companies. Annemarie sits on the Issues Committee of the Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI) and has served as a judge for Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada)’s Corporate Reporting Awards.
Ryan Davies, Digital Content Manager
Ryan moved to Canada from England, where he had previously been a journalist covering local and national sports. Since establishing himself in Collingwood, Ontario, Ryan has become a sought-after expert when it comes to creative social media content. In his work with Refined Substance, which he joined three years ago, he graphically designs and creates visual images for posts and combines his creativity on the visual side with short, compelling messages that encourage engagement across all social media channels. He is particularly astute at crafting social media content that captivates a diverse range of audiences, from business clients and investors to retail consumers and the general public. He then schedules our clients’ social media calendars, planning posts weeks ahead of time to ensure a steady and consistent degree of activity and engagement.
Meriem Marrakchi, Translation/Adaptation Expert
Meriem has been applying her love of languages, particularly French, to marketing and social media content for nearly a decade. She has a Master’s Degree in Applied Foreign Languages from PAris Diderot university and is currently pursuing the Law and Tax Management Master’s at EDHEC Business School in Lille. She specializes in adapting technical reports and research for a more general audience.
Originally from Morocco, Meriem grew up speaking French and learned English in her teens, quickly becoming fluent. Her past experience includes writing for social media and advertising for the automotive industry and designing and implementing a full ESL (English as a second language) program for a major industrial client in France. Since joining Refined Substance about three years ago, she has applied her translation and adaptation skills to a number of our clients, most notably in the mining industry, where she breaks down complicated technical terms into social media posts and compelling blog posts that general public audiences can understand.
Noah Singer, Communications Intern
A lifelong Montrealer, born and raised in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Noah is in his last year of a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology at McGill University. His past experience includes internships with companies such the DeBeers Group Exploration office, participating in a till sampling program in northern Quebec and the Northwest Territories, as well as with SNC-Lavalin (now Atkins Réalis) aiding in the structural mapping needs at the Site-C Hydro Project in northern British Columbia. Noah first joined the Refined Substance team in 2023 to put his GIS and modelling experience at his past roles to use for our clients, and has joined us for a more involved and varied role helping the entire team for the Winter/Spring of 2025.