Aurora Williams | |
---|---|
Minister of Mining | |
Assumed office 16 August 2023 | |
President | Gabriel Boric |
Preceded by | Marcela Hernando |
In office 11 March 2014 – 11 March 2018 | |
President | Michelle Bachelet |
Preceded by | Hernán de Solminihac |
Succeeded by | Baldo Prokurica |
Personal details | |
Born | Antofagasta, Chile | 13 August 1962
Political party | Social Democrat Radical Party Radical Party |
Website | www |
Aurora Elvira Williams Baussa (born 13 August 1962) is a Chilean business engineer. She was the Chilean Minister of Mining from 11 March 2014 to 11 March 2016. In an August 2023 Cabinet reshuffle, Boric re-appointed Williams as Minister of Mining, where she would replace Marcela Hernando.[1]
Williams studied commercial engineering at the Catholic University of the North and earned a master's degree from the University of Lleida in Business Administration and Management.[2]
During Michelle Bachelet's first term as PresidentAntofagasta. This role made her the official responsible for the reconstruction in the area of the city following the 2007 Tocopilla earthquake.[3] later, she worked as an administrative and financial manager for the Antofagasta Terminal International (ATI), a mining company that handled 60% of all mining shipments in Antofagasta Region.[4]
from 2006 to 2010, Williams served as a regional ministerial secretary of public works inIn March 2014, Williams became Minister of Mining, making her the second woman to hold the post since Karen Poniachik.[4] In this capacity, she immediately became president of the board of directors of the state-owned National Mining Company (Chile) (ENAMI) and the Chilean Copper Commission (COCHILCO).
During her term as Minister of Mining, Williams repealed the Ley Reservada del Cobre,[5] approved capital funding for the COCHILCO from Codelco,[6] and passed legislation for small copper mining businesses.[7] She was also responsible for the closure of the controversial Chilean-Argentine Pascua Lama and the Dominga projects,[8][9][10] and for the rescue of two miners following a flood in a mine in Chile Chico.[11]
Boric re-appointed Williams as Minister of Mining in August 2023, where she would replace Marcela Hernando.[1]