E3 Lithium Welcomes Tom Gear as Chief Operating Officer; Kevin Carroll to Retire

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Leadership transition supports E3’s next phase of project execution and operational readiness

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CALGARY, Alberta — E3 LITHIUM LTD. (TSXV: ETL) (FSE: OW3) (OTCQX: EEMMF), “E3”, “E3 Lithium” or the “Company,” a leader in Canadian lithium development, announces a senior leadership transition with the appointment of Tom Gear as Chief Operating Officer, effective June 8, 2026, and the retirement of Kevin Carroll, Chief Development Officer.

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Tom Gear is an energy executive with nearly three decades of experience spanning petroleum refining, major projects, commodity trading, commercial development, and large-scale oil sands operations. Most recently, in his role as Senior Vice President Oilsands at MEG Energy, Tom was a key driver of operational performance and part of the leadership team that delivered the company’s $8.6 billion strategic acquisition by Cenovus Energy in 2025. Prior to MEG Energy, Tom spent 24 years at Suncor and legacy Petro-Canada, including serving as Vice President, Environment, Health & Safety. A Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference alumnus and former Board Chair of the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce, Tom brings national leadership perspective alongside deep operational expertise. Tom is registered as a professional engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).

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“E3 has built something genuinely rare — a world-class resource, a clear path to production, and an exceptional team,” said Tom Gear, newly announced Chief Operating Officer of E3 Lithium. “I’m excited and honoured to join E3 and get Clearwater to commercial operations. This will be the first of its kind in Canada, opening a new chapter in this country’s critical minerals story.”

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“After an extensive search, we are very pleased to welcome Tom to the executive team as Chief Operating Officer,” said Chris Doornbos, CEO & Chair of E3. “His extensive experience leading large-scale industrial operations, driving organizational excellence, and developing high-performing teams will be invaluable as we move closer to construction and operations of the Clearwater Project. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire Company, I want to thank Kevin for his outstanding contributions. Kevin has played a key role in advancing the Clearwater Project and helping establish the strong technical and operational foundation from which we will grow.”

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Kevin Carroll has played an important role in E3 Lithium’s growth and development, contributing to the advancement of the Clearwater Project through key exploration, engineering, development, and operational milestones. Throughout his tenure, Kevin has been recognized for his principled leadership, commitment to operational excellence, and unwavering focus on maintaining safe work practices across E3’s activities. Kevin’s last day will be June 12, 2026, and he will remain with the Company in an advisory capacity during a transition period to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities.

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“It has been a privilege and exciting capstone to work with the E3 team to advance Canada’s first commercial brine-hosted lithium development to help meet fast growing world lithium demand,” said Kevin Carroll, retiring Chief Development Officer of E3. “I am confident the dedication, innovation, and talent of the E3 team will continue to drive the company’s long-term success, and I look forward to following the team’s continuing endeavours in developing the Clearwater Project.”

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ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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Chris Doornbos, CEO & Chair
E3 Lithium Ltd.

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About E3 Lithium

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E3 Lithium is a development company with a total of 21.2 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) Measured and Indicated¹ as well as 0.3 Mt LCE Inferred mineral resources² in Alberta. The Clearwater Pre-Feasibility Study outlined a 1.13 Mt LCE proven and probable mineral reserve with a pre-tax NPV(8%) of USD 5.2 Billion with a 29.2% IRR and an after-tax NPV(8%) of USD 3.7 Billion with a 24.6% IRR¹.

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1:

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The Clearwater Project NI 43-101 Pre-Feasibility Study, effective June 20, 2024, identified 16.2 Mt LCE (measured and indicated) and is available on the E3 Lithium’s website (

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) and SEDAR+ (

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).

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2:

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The mineral resource NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Garrington District Lithium Resource Estimate, effective June 25, 2025, identified 5.0 Mt LCE (measured and indicated) and 0.3 Mt LCE (inferred) and is available on the E3 Lithium’s website (

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) and SEDAR+ (

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).

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Unless otherwise indicated, Kevin Carroll, P. Eng., Chief Development Officer and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained on this news release.

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Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

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This news release includes certain forward-looking statements as well as management’s objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are frequently identified by such words as “believe”, “may”, “will”, “plan”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “intend”, “project”, “potential”, “possible” and similar words referring to future events and results. Forward-looking statements are based on the current opinions, expectations, estimates and assumptions of management in light of its experience, perception of historical trends, and results of the PFS, but such statements are not guarantees of future performance. In preparing the forward-looking information in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, that any additional financing needed will be available on reasonable terms; the exchange rates for the U.S. and Canadian currencies will be consistent with the Company’s expectations; that the current exploration, development, environmental and other objectives concerning the Demonstration Facility can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected; that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner and that all necessary governmental approvals for the planned activities on the Demonstration Facility will be obtained in a timely manner and on acceptable terms.