Good morning everyone. Today is the first official press release from the ZEN forward team that truly begins the proxy vote/battle in earnest.

I wanted to give you my perspective about what has been happening behind the scenes since March 22nd. On this date, I had posted on the board what I was personally looking for from either the ZEN management team or the dissidents as I made my decision on the upcoming proxy vote http://www.siliconinvestor.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=31538034. My thoughts seemed to resonate with most shareholders.

What I can now tell you is that within an hour of my post, a member from the dissident group phoned me up and asked if I would be willing to help them in their efforts to win the proxy battle.

I immediately said yes. My intentions of joining the group was and is to ensure that the dissidents are driven to support the overall interests of all shareholders in ZEN. I did not join the dissidents with a clear agenda to remove Mr. Eveleigh from his position.

As a very new “insider” to the dissidents (who are now called the ZENforward team), I want to share a few perspectives that I would want to know if I did not belong to this group.

1. ZENforward is composed of a rather diverse group of people with a broad range of strengths. There is a lot of serious discussion and there is a lot of humour as we deal with the weight of the proxy.

2. Even though I am the new guy in the group, I have been treated with respect and I feel that my voice and concerns are being heard and shared. One of the small contributions I was able to make to the team was to suggest that we brand ourselves ZENforward.

3. In spite of the range of personalities involved, the group is working as a homogeneous unit. There is no chairman at this time, no specific accountability structure, but a group of real people dedicated to do what is right for all. We are basically proceeding by making decisions in consensus. We may have a few different perspectives in style, but overall a unity emerges which is rare for most ad hoc groups.

4. We are all investing a lot of time in this venture. Every member has full time jobs and are spending hours every week researching, phoning, discussing, planning. . .

5. We are investing our own money in this proxy. If you are in a position to help with the finances that cover this proxy vote, I would invite you to contact Francis Dube (see the press release from today).













So, if we are working so hard, why haven’t the dissidents been communicating and where is the plan?

Unfortunately, a proxy vote is a quagmire of legality. As much, as I think a better result could be forged with all parties getting together, locking the doors and negotiating until we reach an agreement; this is impossible based on the decisions of the current management. Therefore, every step needs to be handled appropriately. Legal counsel has told us not to communicate until now. Legal counsel has given us a time table to release aspects of our plan which we are following. So I would encourage you to be patient for a little longer. The Zenyatta management has to release their proxy information 21 days before the vote legally. ZENforward has no legal timetable when they must release their proxy.


What have I learned from being on the inside of the dissenter leadership about the current status of ZEN?

Even though I am now in the “inner circle” and have “material information” about the proxy itself, we only have access to information about ZEN that has already been publicly released. I want to have the clearest picture possible about the current status of ZEN. I want to know about the progress in metallurgy, NDA’s, financings and to talk to employees and researchers. But we don’t have any of this “material information”. All we have to go on is really what you have access to. I share this with you so that you will appreciate that a big part of any plan that will move ZEN forward will begin with assessing the current status of ZEN and updating shareholders with this information. 




Three realities:

1. As has been released today, ZENforward has made an effort to broker a deal with the current management but their overtures were resisted. As our team has communicated with management I am continually astounded at the laissez-faire attitude towards the deposit we have. If everything we have been told is true, then we are sitting on a world changing deposit that can benefit the environment, provide sensors to reduce infant mortality, make clean water accessible to everyone and improve the quality of life in so many different fields. In the process, we investors should end up being richly rewarded. I cannot personally understand why management has not been driven to do everything possible to get ZEN graphene in the market for the benefit of everyone. It feels like a moral obligation and far more than just an investment.

2. As I have been doing my due diligence on my behalf and ultimately for you as well, I have been rereading everything from ZEN on SEDAR which includes all the press releases over the last eight years. The more I read, the more I see that Mr. Eveleigh was in his element at the early stages of ZEN as it was drilling and testing the early samples. Press releases were frequent and there was a growing momentum. However, I personally see a change in activity and energy as ZEN left exploration behind and started the long process of identifying its findings and building commercial partnerships. The more I learn the more I am convinced that Mr. Eveleigh is not the leader we need to take ZEN forward - especially when Mr. Eveleigh isn’t willing to meet with shareholders who started with reasonable concerns and that are now demanding action.

3. We will need your vote to get the leadership we need to take ZEN forward.

If you feel that you are in the dark about who to support in this proxy vote, I know exactly how you feel. I have been on the outside looking in at ZEN for the last three years without knowing any shareholder on a first named basis. Since I live in BC, I have not had the opportunity to attend any of the AGM’s or conferences that other shareholders would meet at. My only contact has been on the SI board and a couple of posts on Agoracom. I know what it is like to be concerned about your investment and wondering if anyone is willing to defend your interests. I am writing this post because I want you to know that I have found every one of the ZENforward team concerned about all of the interests I have had. I also want you to know that they are doing everything possible to bring the change to ZEN management that you are hoping for. As we proceed further, I am open to have anyone reach out to me and have a conversation. Send me an email at colinvdk@telus.net if you have question or want to talk further.

Colin (Discern)