Mining leader Clayton Walker joins Lithium Americas (NYSE: LAC) board
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Lithium Americas Corp. appointed Clayton Walker as an independent member of its Board of Directors, effective May 4, 2026. He brings more than 25 years of senior leadership at Rio Tinto, including roles overseeing major copper and iron ore operations across the Americas.
The company highlights that Walker’s operating, technical and U.S. regulatory experience is expected to support development of the Thacker Pass lithium project in Nevada. Phase 1 of Thacker Pass is designed for nominal production capacity of 40,000 tonnes per year of battery-quality lithium carbonate, with mechanical completion targeted for late 2027.
Thacker Pass is owned by a joint venture in which Lithium Americas holds a 62% interest and General Motors Holdings LLC holds 38%. Project financing for Phase 1 includes a $2.23 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy, which holds warrants for a 5% equity stake in Lithium Americas and a 5% non-voting equity interest in the joint venture.
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8-K Event Classification
Key Figures
Key Terms
Thacker Pass financial
joint venture financial
warrants financial
battery-quality lithium carbonate technical
forward-looking statements regulatory
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
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CURRENT REPORT
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| Item 5.02 | Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers |
On May 4, 2026, the board of directors (the “Board”) of Lithium Americas Corp. (the “Company”) appointed Clayton Walker to serve as a member of the Board, effective May 4, 2026. The Board also approved Mr. Walker’s appointment to the Safety and Sustainability Committee (as Chair), Audit and Risk Committee, and the Technical Committee, such appointments to become effective only if he is re-elected to the Board at the 2026 annual meeting (the “Meeting”), and, if so, effective immediately following the Meeting and continuing until the close of the next annual meeting of shareholders or until his successor is duly appointed.
Mr. Walker is the former Chief Growth and Development Officer at Rio Tinto where he was responsible for the overall strategic direction and execution of the copper growth portfolio. From 2021-2025 Mr. Walker served as Chief Operating Officer for Rio Tinto’s copper product group, where he led global teams focused on growth and optimization through a world-class copper portfolio. His responsibilities included oversight of major operations and projects across the Americas, including Rio Tinto Kennecott in Utah and Resolution Copper in Arizona. From 2016-2021, he served as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of Iron Ore Company of Canada. Prior to that, Mr. Walker spent 15 years in various management roles at Rio Tinto. Mr. Walker holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Utah and a Bachelor of Science, Metallurgical Engineering degree from the University of Utah.
There are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. Walker and any other persons pursuant to which Mr. Walker was selected as a director.
Mr. Walker does not have a direct or indirect material interest in any currently proposed transaction to which the Company was, or is to be, a participant, nor has Mr. Walker had a direct or indirect material interest in any transactions since the beginning of the Company’s last fiscal year.
Mr. Walker will be compensated for his service on the Board consistent with the Company’s other non-employee directors, as described in the Company’s most recent proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 30, 2025 and incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 7.01 | Regulation FD Disclosure |
On May 5, 2026, the Company issued a press release announcing the appointment of Mr. Walker as a member of the Board. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
The information contained in this Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1 is being “furnished” pursuant to General Instruction B.2. of Form 8-K and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits |
(d) Exhibits
| Exhibit | Description | |
| 99.1 | Press Release, dated May 5, 2026 | |
Signatures
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| Lithium Americas Corp. | ||||||
| Date: May 5, 2026 | By: | /s/ Jonathan Evans | ||||
| Jonathan Evans | ||||||
| Chief Executive Officer | ||||||
Exhibit 99.1
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| NEWS RELEASE | ||
| TSX: LAC • NYSE: LAC | ||
| www.lithiumamericas.com | ||
Lithium Americas Appoints Clayton Walker to the Board of Directors
(All amounts in US$ unless otherwise indicated)
May 5, 2026 – Vancouver, Canada: Lithium Americas Corp. (TSX: LAC) (NYSE: LAC) (“Lithium Americas” or the “Company”) announced the appointment of Clayton Walker as an independent member of its Board of Directors (the “Board”) effective immediately.
Mr. Walker has over 25 years of experience leading global mining companies, most recently as former Chief Growth and Development Officer at Rio Tinto where he was responsible for the overall strategic direction and execution of the Copper Growth Portfolio. From 2021-2025, he served as Chief Operating Officer for Rio Tinto’s Copper product group, where he led global teams focused on growth and optimization across a world-class copper portfolio. His responsibilities included oversight of major operations and projects across the Americas, including Rio Tinto Kennecott in Utah and Resolution Copper in Arizona. From 2016-2021, he served as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of Iron Ore Company of Canada. Prior to that, he spent 15 years in various management roles at Rio Tinto. Mr. Walker holds a Master of Business Administration degree as well as a Bachelor of Science, Metallurgical Engineering degree from the University of Utah.
Kelvin Dushnisky, Executive Chair of the Board, commented: “On behalf of the Board and executive team, I am very pleased to welcome Clayton Walker to the Board. His executive leadership, senior operating experience and technical knowledge, together with his understanding of the U.S. regulatory landscape, will be instrumental as we advance Thacker Pass to production and drive long-term value for our stakeholders.”
ABOUT LITHIUM AMERICAS
Lithium Americas is building Thacker Pass located in Humboldt County in northern Nevada. Phase 1 is designed for nominal production capacity of 40,000 tonnes per year of battery-quality lithium carbonate, and mechanical completion is targeted for late 2027. Thacker Pass hosts the largest known measured lithium resource (Measured and Indicated) and reserve (Proven and Probable) in the world and is owned by a joint venture (“JV”) between Lithium Americas (holding a 62% interest), and General Motors Holdings LLC (“GM”) (holding a 38% interest). Project financing for Phase 1 includes a $2.23 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) and strategic investments from GM and Orion Resource Partners LP. The DOE holds warrants to purchase common shares of the Company for a 5% equity stake and JV warrants to purchase a 5% non-voting, non-transferable equity interest in the JV. Lithium Americas’ shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LAC. To learn more, visit www.lithiumamericas.com or follow @LithiumAmericas on social media.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation (collectively, “FLS”). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are FLS and can be identified by the use of statements that include, but are not limited to, words, such as “anticipate,” “plan,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “project,” “predict,” “proposes,” “potential,” “target,” “implement,” “schedule,” “forecast,” “intend,” “would,” “could,” “might,” “should,” “believe” and similar terminology, or statements that certain actions, events or results “may,” “could,” “would,” “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. FLS in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the expected contributions of Mr. Walker following his appointment; statements related to Thacker Pass, including the capacity of Phase 1, targeted mechanical completion, development plans, and project financing; and other statements regarding management’s beliefs, plans, estimates, and intentions, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance, or expectations that are not historical facts.
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FLS involves known and unknown risks, assumptions and other factors that may cause actual results or performance to differ materially. FLS reflects the Company’s current views about future events that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date of this news release, are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. Accordingly, there can be no certainty that they will accurately reflect actual results. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such FLS are reasonable, the Company can give no assurance that these assumptions and expectations will prove to be correct. As such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this information, and that this information may not be appropriate for any other purpose, including investment purposes. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in any FLS as a result of the risk factors set out in the Company’s continuous disclosure documents available on EDGAR at www.sec.gov and on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.
Readers are further cautioned to review the full description of risks, uncertainties and management’s assumptions in the aforementioned documents and other disclosure documents available on EDGAR and SEDAR+.
The FLS contained in this news release is expressly qualified by these cautionary statements. All FLS in this news release speaks as of the date of this news release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any FLS, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
INVESTOR CONTACT
Virginia Morgan
Vice President, Investor Relations and ESG
+1-778-726-4070
ir@lithiumamericas.com
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