Chile's Codelco copper giant names Jorge Gomez as new CEO

SANTIAGO, June ​3 (Reuters) - Chile's embattled state copper giant Codelco named Jorge Gomez as its new CEO on Wednesday as the company continues to ​deal ‌with fallout following a scandal over inflated production figures.

In a statement, Codelco confirmed that Gomez will take over as CEO ⁠starting on July 13. Reuters broke news of Codelco's plans ⁠to appoint Gomez earlier on Wednesday, ​citing company sources.

Gomez had been serving as head of the Collahuasi copper mine, one of the world's largest, since 2012 and will replace current CEO Ruben Alvarado. "Jorge Gomez is one of the most recognized and respected executives in ​Chilean ‌mining," Codelco chairman Bernardo Fontaine said in a statement, adding that his management and mining experience "will be key to facing the challenges of this new stage for Codelco."

Fontaine added Gomez's priorities will be "safety, generating profitability and maximizing contributions to the state, management control, and operational, environmental and social sustainability."

Before working at Collahuasi, Gomez had ​served as a top executive in Codelco in charge of mines in central Chile. He also served as ‌vice president of operations at Antofagasta Minerals between 2006 and 2010, and general manager at Minera Los Pelambres between 1997 and 2006. Gomez did not immediately ‌respond to a request for comment.

The move continues far-right President Jose Antonio Kast's reshaping of Codelco, which he has criticized for having production and safety issues and promised to put on a new path.

In ​May, Kast tapped Fontaine, an economist, to replace Maximo Pacheco as chairman of the board and replaced two board members.

When announcing those ‌changes to the board, Mining Minister Daniel Mas, who was appointed by Kast, said the new board members will be tasked with a "special mandate" to lead an investigation and external audit to address recent production issues.

In a ⁠post on ⁠X, Mas praised Gomez's appointment and expressed his faith in Codelco's ‌new leadership.

"They face the great challenge of steering Codelco into the future with safety and excellence," Mas said. "Codelco urgently needs technical leadership ​of this caliber to ​once again be the pride of all Chileans."

In late May, Codelco fired ‌an executive and took disciplinary action against other employees following an internal audit into improper reporting of its 2025 production figures. In March, Reuters first reported on the doubts surrounding Codelco's December production spikes. (Reporting by Fabian Cambero; Writing by Alexander Villegas; Editing by Kylie Madry, Chizu Nomiyama and Alistair Bell)

Antofagasta