The Aurelia Metals Ltd (ASX: AMI) share price is in focus today after the company announced the appointment of Mr Steve Badenhorst as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, set to begin on 6 October 2026.

What did Aurelia Metals report?

• Appointment of Steve Badenhorst as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
• Badenhorst brings 35+ years of global mining and operational leadership experience
• Recent leadership roles include Group Head of Asset Management at Rio Tinto and COO at Rio Tinto Aluminium Pacific Operations
• TFR (Total Fixed Remuneration) of $732,500 per annum, plus short- and long-term incentives
• Badenhorst commences on 6 October 2026

What else do investors need to know?

Aurelia Metals operates three underground base metal mines across its Peak and Federation sites in the Cobar Basin, NSW, and is developing its Great Cobar copper project. The appointment follows a comprehensive recruitment process to secure a leader with strong operational credentials and long-term strategic vision.

Outgoing interim CEO Martin Cummings will step down when Badenhorst begins his role. Aurelia’s board expressed gratitude for Cummings’ leadership during the transition period.

What did Aurelia Metals management say?

Commenting on his appointment, Steve Badenhorst said:

I am honoured to be appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Aurelia, to lead the Company through its next phase of growth. Aurelia has a high quality asset base, a strong team and significant opportunities to create value through safe, predictable operational performance, resource development and continued exploration success.

I am excited to return to underground hard rock mining and look forward to working closely with the Board and the Executive Leadership Team to execute the Company’s strategy to realise the potential of the Company’s operations and highly prospective exploration portfolio to create long-term value for shareholders.

What’s next for Aurelia Metals?

With Mr Badenhorst set to start in early October, Aurelia Metals will soon be under experienced new leadership expected to drive its growth strategy forward. The company aims to deliver on its plans for resource development and to progress major projects like Great Cobar, focusing on creating sustainable long-term value for shareholders.

Investors can watch for updates on strategic initiatives, operational improvements, and exploration results as the new CEO settles in.

Aurelia Metals share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Aurelia Metals shares have risen 116%, significantly outperforming the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

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The post Aurelia Metals appoints Steve Badenhorst as new CEO to lead next growth phase appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.

The Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU) share price is in focus after its global partner, Acadia Pharmaceuticals, secured European approval for DAYBU (trofinetide) – the first treatment for Rett syndrome in the EU. Neuren stands to receive US$35 million upon the drug’s first commercial sale in Europe, plus potential milestone payments.

What did Neuren report?

• The European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for DAYBU (trofinetide) for Rett syndrome.
• DAYBU is the first and only approved treatment for Rett syndrome in the European Union.
• Neuren to receive US$35 million from the first European commercial sale, with milestone payments up to US$170 million.
• Tiered royalties from mid-teens to low 20s percent of net sales are also expected under the partnership.
• Commercial launch in Germany is targeted for early Q4 2026.

What else do investors need to know?

The European approval means DAYBU can be marketed across all 27 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. This milestone further extends the reach of trofinetide, which is already approved in the United States, Canada, and Israel.

Neuren’s other clinical program, NNZ-2591, is progressing with a Phase 3 clinical trial for Phelan-McDermid syndrome and open-label extension studies. Each of Neuren’s drug development programs has been granted “orphan drug” status in both the US and EU.

What did Neuren management say?

Neuren CEO Jon Pilcher said:

We are delighted for the Rett syndrome community in Europe, who, until now, have had no approved treatment for this devastating condition. The European Commission’s approval of DAYBU is particularly rewarding for Neuren given our long-standing commitment to developing therapies for serious neurological disorders with profound unmet need. We look forward to seeing our partner Acadia make DAYBU available for Rett patients and families in Europe.

What’s next for Neuren?

With European marketing authorisation, Acadia plans to launch DAYBU in Germany in early Q4 2026, which will trigger Neuren’s first commercial milestone payment. Ongoing development of NNZ-2591, now in late-stage trials for several neurodevelopmental disorders, remains a key priority for future growth.

Neuren continues to target serious neurological conditions where few approved treatments exist, aiming to advance both its existing partnerships and its internal drug pipeline.

Neuren share price snapshot

The Neuren Pharmaceuticals share price has outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) over the past 12 months with a gain of approximately 27%.

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The post Neuren share price in focus after DAYBU wins EU approval for Rett syndrome appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.

The ASX dividend share MFF Capital Investments Ltd (ASX: MFF) is one of the leading choices for passive income, in my view.

It may not be as popular as names like BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) or Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW). But, I think MFF is better than each of those ASX blue-chip shares for multiple reasons.

Let’s get into what makes it such a good buy.

Diversification

Each of the large ASX companies I mentioned above is an impressive business with significant operations.

However, an investment with MFF offers much more diversification because it owns a portfolio of shares, whereas the ASX blue-chips are singular businesses.

MFF aims to invest in competitively advantaged businesses, which are normally global blue-chip stocks.

Its largest holdings are names like Mastercard, Alphabet, Visa, Bank of America and Amazon.

The ASX dividend share’s holdings have been long-term winners, and I believe there’s a good chance they will continue to be long-term compounders.

Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance, but MFF’s portfolio has delivered strong returns over the long-term.

According to CMC Invest, over the past five years MFF has delivered an average total shareholder return (TSR) of 16.2% per year.

I think its investment strategy can continue to perform well over the long-term and I expect its portfolio will continue to adjust over the years.

Dividend yield

One of the best reasons to like this ASX dividend share is down to its impressive dividend yield, which is superior to the ASX blue chip shares of CBA, BHP and Woolworths.

The business has provided guidance that it intends its next half-year dividend will be 12 cents per share and I expect the one after that will be 13 cents per share.

Assuming the business does pay an annual dividend per share of 25 cents per share in the 2027 financial year, it would represent a grossed-up dividend yield of 6.8%, including franking credits, at the time of writing.

Payout growth

Dividend growth is not a guarantee of course, but the business has a goal of increasing its dividend for investors each year and its large profit reserve and profit generation mean the business is able to pay consistently growing dividends.

In FY26 it grew its annual dividend per share by 23.5%, and I expect it will grow the dividend by another 19%. In my view, there are not many ASX dividend shares with yields above 6% that are likely to grow their payout at that pace.

MFF has grown its annual dividend per share each year since FY18, so it’s building a pleasing track record of regular payout growth.

This ASX dividend share is one of the largest positions in my portfolio, and I’m expecting more pleasing payouts in the years to come.

The post Why I’d buy this top ASX dividend share for major passive income today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Bank of America is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Mff Capital Investments. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Mastercard, and Visa. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Mff Capital Investments. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Mastercard, and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.