Pierre Heeroma has been appointed as Boliden's new Exploration Manger. He is 46 years old and most recently headed the worldwide exploration activities of the French mining company, Areva NC (formerly Cogema SA), based in Paris.

 "The recruitment of Pierre Heeroma should be viewed in the light of Boliden's continued and increased investments in exploration, both in Sweden and internationally, the aim of which is to develop and boost Boliden's ore reserves," says Jan Johansson, Boliden's President & CEO.    

Pierre Heeroma has over 20 years' experience of both Swedish and international mining operations, specifically in the fields of geology and exploration. After graduating from Uppsala University with a B.Sc. in Earth Sciences, he was employed as a mine geologist at Boliden in the early 1980s.

Heeroma has spent much of his working life with the French mining company, Cogema AS, and its successor, Areva NC. Between 1992 and 1997, he was the Vice President of Cogema's Swedish company, whose operations were concentrated on exploration in Sweden, Finland and Russian Karelia. He has also been Cogema's Exploration Manager in Australia, and worked at the head office in Paris. As Vice President, Exploration, at Areva NC, he was in charge of a 250-strong workforce.

He will take over his new position on 1st October 2006.

No other European company invests more in exploration for the base metals, copper and zinc, than Boliden, and the exploration budget for 2006 is approximately SEK 160 million. The majority of investments are made in what is known as mine-site exploration, where the potential for a relatively quick and cost-effective payback in the form of profitable mining operations is greater. The primary objective of field exploration is to secure Boliden's mineral resources in the slightly longer term.

For more information, please contact:

Jan Johansson, President & CEO, Boliden AB, tel +46 (0)8 610 16 02, +46 (0)70 555 02 02
Ulf Söderström, Senior Vice President, Group Communication, Boliden AB, tel +46 (0)8 640 15 57,
+46 (0)70 618 95 95
Jan Moström, President, Business Area Mines, Boliden AB, tel +46 (0)910 77 42 10, +46 (0)70 673 52 99