\u2022 Bruno Dumais, currently CFO appointed President and Chief Operating Officer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Jean-Sebastien Blanchette, appointed as Chief Financial Officer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Montreal, Quebec, April 9, 2026) <\/strong>\u2013 Nio Strategic Metals Inc. (TSX-V: NIO) (OTC: NIOCF) (\u201cNio<\/strong>\u201d or the \u201cCorporation<\/strong>\u201d),<\/a> a critical mineral exploration company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Bruno Dumais and Jean-S\u00e9bastien Blanchette to its executive suite. Mr. Dumais is appointed as President and Chief Operating Officer while Mr. Blanchette is joining as Chief Financial Officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Formerly CFO of Nio, Mr. Dumais has more than 30 years of senior management experience, including strategic development and plan execution at various local and international publicly-traded organizations, serving as their CFO. Known as a seasoned business leader constantly creating new opportunities while managing risks and uncertainties, he brings to the table the vision and communications abilities to further derisk and advance Nio\u2019s niobium exploration projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am very excited to be taking on this new role,\u201d said Mr. Dumais. \u201cI believe Nio has great potential with its critical mineral property located in the Oka region that uniquely positions the Company under the current geopolitical uncertainty period surrounding the niobium supply\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr. Blanchette has over 25 years of experience in the fields of finance and natural resources. Upon graduating from Yale University, he has worked on Wall Street as senior financial analyst and portfolio manager for various financial institutions, managing multi-hundred-million-dollar market neutral strategies in the energy and mining sectors. \u201cI\u2019m joining an already well-seasoned team with a rare asset base and am thrilled to be working with everyone,\u201d said Mr. Blanchette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMr. Dumais is the right leader for Nio to promote our projects with local stakeholders, governmental agencies and partners,\u201d said Hubert Marleau, current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation. \u201cMr. Blanchette’s extensive expertise and passion for leadership, business development and operations will help Nio strengthen partnerships, further develop strategic alliances, and expand our international sales presence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFollowing the recent funding round, Nio is extremely well positioned to demonstrate the potential benefits of our strategic niobium asset not only for local stakeholders, but also for the Canadian infrastructure, defence and aeronautical industries,\u201d added Mr. Marleau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stock Option Grant<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Board of Directors also announced that it has granted a total of 4,000,000 stock options to directors and officers under its stock option incentive plan, at an exercise price of $0.27 per share. The options have a five-year term. The stock options are subject to the terms and conditions of the Corporation’s stock option plan and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About Nio Strategic Metals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nio Strategic Metals is an exploration and development company, with a focus on becoming a ferroniobium producer. The Corporation holds niobium properties located in Oka and near Mont-Laurier and another exploration property in the Province of Qu\u00e9bec.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more information on the Corporation, please refer to the Corporation\u2019s public documents available on SEDAR (www.sedarplus.ca<\/a>) or on the Corporation\u2019s website (https:\/\/niostratmet.com\/<\/a>) or contact: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bruno Dumais, Chief Operating Officer<\/p>\n\n\n\n bdumais@niometauxstrategiques.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 514-560-7623<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jean-Sebastien Blanchette, Chief Financial Officer<\/p>\n\n\n\n