Pulsar Helium Appoints Stephen Lange Ranzini to Board of Directors

Ranzini to serve as Deputy Chair, bringing deep U.S. financial expertise to support helium project development

Mar. 17, 2026 at 7:01am

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Pulsar Helium Inc., a primary helium company, has appointed Stephen Lange Ranzini, President & CEO of University Bancorp, Inc., to its Board of Directors as Deputy Chair. Ranzini brings over four decades of experience in financial services and corporate governance, and will provide strategic guidance as Pulsar advances its helium projects, including the Topaz Project in Minnesota.

Why it matters

Pulsar's appointment of Ranzini strengthens the company's leadership and positioning in the United States, where its flagship Topaz helium project is located. Ranzini's extensive financial services expertise and network within the U.S. financial system will be valuable as Pulsar seeks to secure funding and advance development of the Topaz Project, which could help diversify global helium supply amid concerns over the vulnerability of existing supply chains.

The details

As Deputy Chair, Ranzini will participate on certain Board committees and provide guidance to Pulsar's management team. Ranzini has overseen the expansion of University Bancorp from a single-office community bank into a diversified financial services organization with over $36 billion in Assets Under Management. His experience includes venture investment, international trade finance, asset-backed lending, foreign exchange, and economic development.

  • Ranzini's appointment to Pulsar's Board of Directors and as Deputy Chair is effective as of March 16, 2026.

The players

Pulsar Helium Inc.

A publicly traded primary helium company with projects in Minnesota, USA and Greenland.

Stephen Lange Ranzini

The President & CEO of University Bancorp, Inc. (OTCQB: UNIB) and its wholly owned subsidiary, University Bank in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a position he has held since 1988.

University Bancorp, Inc.

The parent company of University Bank, a diversified financial services organization with over $36 billion in Assets Under Management for over 185,000 customers across the U.S.

Neil Herbert

The Chair of Pulsar Helium Inc.

Thomas Abraham-James

The President & CEO of Pulsar Helium Inc.

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What they’re saying

“We are delighted to welcome Stephen Lange Ranzini to Pulsar Helium as Non-Executive Deputy Chairman. Stephen brings deep U.S. financial market expertise, extensive institutional relationships, and a highly accomplished leadership record.”

— Neil Herbert, Chair of Pulsar (Globe Newswire)

“I am pleased to join the Board of Pulsar, which has discovered a significant occurrence of Helium-4 and Helium-3 in Minnesota's Iron Range. Ongoing hostilities in the region have highlighted the vulnerability of global helium supply chains. In this context, I believe that assisting Pulsar to complete the exploration program at its Topaz Project to quantify the size of the discovery and preparations for potential development of the Topaz Project into production as quickly as possible is now a national economic and national security imperative.”

— Stephen Lange Ranzini, Deputy Chair of Pulsar (Globe Newswire)

“We are very pleased to welcome Stephen to the Pulsar Board as Deputy Chair. UNIB has already demonstrated strong support for Pulsar, holding approximately 4.99% of the Company's issued share capital, providing a US$4 million line of credit to support development activities at our Topaz project, and expressing its intention to potentially finance up to US$12.5 million for a helium processing facility.”

— Thomas Abraham-James, President & CEO of Pulsar (Globe Newswire)

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