Hualilan Gold Project Appointment of General Manager Operations
- Challenger appoints veteran Mining Engineer Ubirata (Bira) De Oliveira as General Manager Operations for the Hualilan Project.
- Brings 35+ years of mining operational and technical expertise, with leadership roles in both large and small-scale projects across South America and West Africa.
- Will lead the operational readiness phase for Toll Milling, managing the transition from development to full-scale production and overseeing daily mining activities.
- Robust South American experience in both open-pit and underground mining, managing teams of 1,500+ employees and delivering annual production of up to 500,000 oz of gold.
- Expert in operational transitions, guiding projects from construction completion through commissioning, start-up, and ramp-up to full plant capacity.
- Strengthens Challenger's execution strategy following the recently signed three-year binding toll milling agreement to process 150,000t of Hualilan material annually, commencing H2 2025.
By Panorama Minero
Kris Knauer the Managing Director of Challenger Gold commented:
"We are pleased to welcome Bira to the Challenger team as General Manager Operations - Hualilan. Bira has extensive project management and mine operating experience in South America and West Africa. He has operated mines in five countries in South America and successfully managed both owner-operator and contracted mining operations in South America.
In his most recent role, Bira was responsible for the operational readiness and the transition from project construction completion to plant commissioning at a project in Brazil. As General Manager Bira will be responsible for the operational readiness of Hualilan, the transition from development to Toll Milling operations, then the ongoing management of the day-to-day Toll Milling operations.”
As General Manager Operations, Bira will be responsible for the operational readiness of Hualilan and the transition from development to Toll Milling operations. His responsibilities include managing mining and haulage, selecting and overseeing contractors and suppliers, and building the operations team. Once in production, via Toll Milling, the role directs operational activities to achieve mining and toll processing objectives and ensure legislative and regulatory compliance.
A qualified mining engineer with over 35 years of experience across Latin America (5 countries) and West Africa (4 countries) at both GM and COO levels, Bira has successfully managed both owner operator and contracted mining operations. He has a proven track record in leading the management of complex minerals processing plants and mining operations, (OP and UG) including managing multiple sites simultaneously.
His most recent role was COO at Serra Verde Rare Earths in Brazil, where Bira was responsible for operational readiness and the transition from project construction completion to plant commissioning. Other previous roles include Operations Manager at the Sadiola Hill Gold Mine in Mali, and GM of both the Frontier Copper Mine in the DRC, and the Minera San Gregorio gold mine in Uruguay.
