Teck’s Amparo Cornejo named TNM’s first Operator of the Year 

Amparo Cornejo, chief sustainability officer at Teck Resources (TSX: TECK.A, TECK.B; NYSE: TECK), has been named The Northern Miner’s first Operator of the Year. The honour, which will be awarded at the International Metals Symposium in London Dec. 1-2, is co-presented by professional services firm EY. 

Cornejo, who first joined Teck in 2014 as director of social responsibility and corporate affairs, and was vice-president, South America for a year before being named CSO in September, has helped guide the company’s global strategy for sustainability. And she ensured that Teck’s Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) copper operation in Chile – a key project for the miner that produced first concentrate in March last year – was developed using a sustainable mining model.  

QB2 will add 300,000 tonnes of copper annually to global markets while conserving water resources in Chile’s Atacama Desert. As QB2 construction ramped up from 2019, Cornejo oversaw building the desalination plant, laying water pipelines, and digging a port during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her proactive agreements with 22 Indigenous groups helped ensure zero social stoppages during the pandemic, keeping construction of the project – last pegged at US$8.6-US$8.8 billion – on track. 

Cornejo implemented governance and standards in areas such as community and Indigenous affairs, environment, and permitting and set a high bar for operational excellence not just at QB2, which has an initial mine life of 27 years, but across Teck’s operations. Every Teck decision now has sustainability engrained, Cornejo says.  

“I'm motivated by the power of sustainability to transform mining,” Cornejo told The Northern Miner in an email exchange. “It's not just about risk management, it's about legitimizing our industry and ensuring we leave a positive legacy.” 

Cornejo, who’s based in Santiago, and earned a political science degree at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, notes that sustainability is a strategic imperative – not just a concept. 

“At Teck, we saw early on that sustainable practices aren’t just the right thing to do. They’re critical for long-term business viability.” 

Cornejo was this year also named as Executive of the Year in Chile by EY and El Mercurio. 

Nature positive 

Cornejo sees sustainability as both a challenge and an opportunity for the industry. 

“Today, the biggest risks in mining aren’t technical—they’re environmental and social,” she said. “Future leaders need to balance operational goals with a deep commitment to environmental responsibility.” 

As Teck pushes towards becoming ‘nature positive’ by 2030, Cornejo remains the face of policy progress. Teck’s ‘nature positive’ vision aims to help ecosystems in which it operates flourish while securing the company’s long-term viability.