Executive & Senior Management

Grant King

Chief Operating Officer

Grant King has 20+ years of experience in the mining industry, including underground contract mining, production roles and consulting for over a decade on mine studies and financial modelling. Grant holds an Honours Degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Queensland, a Master of Science in Mineral Economics from the Curtin University of Technology and a First Class Mine Manager’s Certificate for the State of Western Australia. Prior to joining Hot Chili, Grant was a Principal Mining Engineer at the engineering firm Wood and consulted on projects across the Americas, Europe and Australia. Grant is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

José Ignacio Silva

Executive Vice President

Mr Silva gained his law degree at the University of Chile, and studied Masters in International Business Law at the University College London. He has 20 years’ experience in litigation, commercial and mining law and business negotiations and in Tier 1 law firms in Chile. Mr Silva has also completed 2 years’ work experience in London, UK in Financial Fraud at the Serious Fraud Office, where his team successfully prosecuted a high level case of corruption of foreign officials. Mr Silva has been working with Hot Chili since July 2009 and in 2011 became Chief Legal Counsel. He is responsible for mining rights acquisitions, mining consolidation, deal negotiations and business development among other things, working directly with the board of Hot Chili.

Carol Marinkovich

Company Secretary

Carol has over 25 years’ experience in the mining industry. She has extensive experience in Company Secretary and Corporate Governance Practices, both within Australia and Internationally working with companies in the ASX200, ASX300 and for other listed junior explorers.

Carol is currently the Company Secretary for Alvo Minerals and AuMEGA Metals.

Carol is a Member of the Governance Institute of Australia and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in London.

Ryan Finkelstein

Chief Financial Officer

Mr Finkelstein is a seasoned Chartered Accountant with over 16 years of experience, including 10 years in audit at a global mid-tier accounting firm. Over the last two years he has provided CFO services to ASX listed entities in the mining sector and has held the position of Chief Financial Officer at ASX/TSX-V listed AuMEGA Metals Ltd (formally Matador Mining Ltd) since April 2023.

Mr Finkelstein possesses significant leadership experience in strategy, compliance, corporate governance, risk management, accounting standards, and regulatory requirements.

Kirsty Sheerin

Resource Development Manager

Kirsty is a Resource Geologist with over 13 years’ experience in the mining industry, including underground gold mining and international consulting in resource geology.

She has worked previously as a Senior Resource Geologist for Northern Star Resources and Principal Geology Consultant for OreTeck Mining Solutions.

Andrea Aravena

Geology Manager – Chile

Ms. Aravena is a geologist from Universidad de Concepción, Chile with over a 13 years’ experience in Chile´s mining and exploration industry. She has also completed further studies in project and operational management in Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Before joining Hot Chili, she has worked 4 years as a mine/exploration geologist in open pit and underground gold operations for Yamana and Minera Dayton companies.

Ms. Aravena joined Hot Chili in 2011 as a senior geologist and has worked extensively supervising and running Productora, El Fuego and more recently Cortadera exploration drill programs, managing the field team and company contractors, ensuring compliance to the company standard operating procedures. Ms. Aravena was contributory to the completion of Productora Pre-Feasibility study and continues supporting legal and environmental permitting for the current company operations.

Marcelo Hernando

Development Manager – Chile

Marcelo Hernando has 20+ years of experience in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors. Marcelo is a Civil Mining Engineer graduated with highest distinction from the University of Santiago, Chile.

Prior to joining Hot Chili, Marcelo held various roles at WOOD, including Operations Manager and Director of Business Development South America, achieving significant contract awards and implementing client account plans, managing operations in Chile, and leading a team of 120 consultants. Marcelo is registered as a Competent Person with the Commission for the Qualification of Competencies in Mineral Resources and Reserves of Chile.

Cristóbal Julia

Environmental Manager – Chile

Cristóbal is a Geographer with more than 15 years of professional experience in managing environmental issues and community early engagement, ranging from mining to utility-scale renewables projects.

He is focused to contribute to the company with the sustainability of the mining project, following the compliance of local and international standards and environmental regulation.
His broad experience in environmental impact assessment and permitting has given him the ability to build long term relationships with neighboring communities and stakeholders, including Indigenous communities.