Roberto Alarcon Bittner

Meet Roberto, our VP & Country Manager, resident land man and boots-on-the-ground expert in Chile

Roberto, who is originally from Santiago but grew up in Southern Chile, has a background in law. He began his career in the mining industry with Homestake Mining in 1991, working alongside Astra’s board member Darcy Marud for several years. During his time there, he participated in the acquisition of the Veladero mine in Argentina, as well as the evaluation and acquisition of several mining projects in South America, North America, and Europe. In 2001, Homestake was acquired by Barrick, and Roberto made the move to Meridian Gold in 2003. While at Meridian Gold, he led the acquisition of Minera Florida, Amancaya, Jeronimo, and la Pepa mines in Chile. After Yamana Gold acquired Meridian in 2007, Roberto continued as an important team member of Yamana Gold, acting as VP and Country Manager for Chile, as well as VP of Legal and Land in South America until 2019.

With his background in law and his extensive experience in mining, Roberto is an invaluable asset to the Astra team. He’s currently spearheading our environmental assessment at the Pampa Paciencia claims and played a critical role in the successful acquisition of the remaining 20% stake in Pampa Paciencia from SQM in November 2022.

Roberto’s boots-on-the-ground presence in Chile allows us to maintain a strong local presence and stay on top of developments in the mining industry. We’re lucky to have him as a part of our team and look forward to his continued contributions to Astra’s success!