Executive Search in Mexico’s EPC & Renewable Energy Sector
Author: José Carlos Hassan, Partner | Zavala Civitas Mexico is undergoing a structural energy transformation with few precedents in Latin
May 29, 2026
A leadership appointment in mining and metals has to fit the realities of the operation: the asset, the process, the location and the people who keep it running. We identify the executives who fit them.
Experience in a large mining group may be valuable, but its relevance depends on what the executive actually led and the conditions in which they delivered results.
A plant preparing for commissioning needs a different leader from an established operation facing inconsistent recovery, and a multi-asset group needs different capabilities from a single-site operator.
Zavala Civitas supports mining companies, mineral processors, steel and metals producers, equipment and service providers, and recycling businesses. Each search is defined around the commodity, processing route, stage of the operation and decisions the role will own. With offices in Mexico, Spain, Canada and China, our research reaches leaders across the major mining regions of the Americas and the processing and consuming markets of Europe and Asia.
According to the IEA’s Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2026, the projected copper supply gap for 2035 has narrowed from around 30% to 25% as new projects advance. Bringing that capacity into reliable production remains a substantial challenge.
For leadership teams, the questions are specific: can a project be commissioned successfully, can an existing plant improve recovery, and which investments will address the constraints that matter most? In a search, we examine candidates’ responsibility for commissioning, ramp-up, plant improvement or investment delivery, alongside the resources and constraints they managed.
A production target can be measured every day. The quality of a leader’s safety judgement often becomes clear only when something goes wrong, or when they decide to stop work before it does. ICMM’s critical control guidance emphasises building the controls that prevent serious incidents into daily management and leadership practice.
We explore concrete decisions: how candidates handled an unsafe condition, challenged a production deadline or ensured that corrective actions were implemented across shifts and contractors.
The IEA reports that prices for aluminium, copper and tin rose by one-third between January 2025 and April 2026, while new export controls have turned supply concentration risks into reality.
Executives must revise plans as conditions change while keeping a clear view of the asset’s long-term needs. We assess how candidates have prioritised expenditure, managed suppliers and customers, and explained difficult trade-offs to both site teams and corporate leadership.
Companies operating several mines or plants face a different question from single-site operators: where to invest, which assets to prioritise and how to keep performance consistent across sites with different ore bodies, cost profiles and teams. These roles require executives who can compare assets on a common basis, allocate capital with discipline and hold site leaders accountable without managing every site directly.
We examine the portfolio candidates oversaw, the investment decisions they owned and how they balanced short-term output against the long-term needs of each asset.
For a role based at a remote operation, relocation and working arrangements belong in the initial brief. Family circumstances, rotation schedules, language and the strength of the local team can all affect whether an appointment is sustainable.
Assessing these factors early helps establish a realistic candidate pool and gives prospective leaders a clear understanding of the position.
Each search is defined around the commodity, the processing route and the stage of the operation.
Mine operations, mineral processing, metallurgy, technical services and asset performance, defined around the commodity, processing route and stage of the operation.
Roles responsible for several operations, regions or business units, defined around the number and type of assets, the autonomy of each site and the leader’s role in capital allocation.
Capital markets, project financing, M&A, investor relations and portfolio strategy, where financial rigour must be combined with an understanding of how operating decisions affect value.
Steelmaking, smelting, refining and downstream processing, where production reliability, maintenance, quality, energy use and commercial requirements shape the role.
Equipment manufacturers, engineering businesses and service providers, where technical credibility must be matched by customer relationships, service delivery and business development.
Metal recovery and recycling, where feedstock sourcing, processing performance, product quality and customer requirements define the role.
For each appointment, we clarify the reporting structure, site responsibilities, team size and decision-making authority before approaching candidates.
| Area | Relevant leadership roles |
|---|---|
| Executive leadership | CEO, Managing Director, Country Manager, Business Unit Head |
| Operations | COO, VP Operations (multi-asset), Operations Director, Mine Director, Plant Director |
| Technical and projects | Technical Director, Metallurgy Director, Process Engineering Director, Projects Director |
| Finance and corporate | CFO, VP Finance, Corporate Development Director, Investor Relations Director, Treasurer, Head of Project Finance |
| Commercial and supply | Commercial Director, Supply Chain Director |
| People, safety and sustainability | HR Director, HSE Director, Sustainability Director, Community Relations Director |
We begin with the business need behind the appointment. The brief establishes the immediate priorities, the technical requirements and the outcomes expected from the new leader, and distinguishes essential experience from experience that would simply be helpful.
Our research combines target-company mapping with direct approaches to executives who are not actively considering a move. The search boundaries depend on the position. For a metallurgy role, experience with a particular mineral or processing route may be essential. For a commercial, finance or corporate appointment, a wider range of related and capital-intensive businesses may provide suitable candidates.
We personally interview candidates to understand the decisions they made, their individual accountability and the circumstances behind the results they describe. For technical and operational leaders, this includes how they diagnosed problems, worked with other functions, developed their teams and secured support for change. For multi-asset and finance leaders, we examine the portfolio they managed, the capital decisions they owned, their role in budgeting, M&A or project financing, and how they worked with boards, lenders and investors.
Structured assessment, references and, where appropriate, a role-specific business case deepen that evaluation. Specialist technical validation can be incorporated with the client’s subject-matter experts.
Weekly progress reports show the companies and markets covered, candidate feedback and any constraints affecting the brief, so that questions about availability, compensation or location can be addressed while the search is under way.
Whether you are commissioning a new project, improving plant performance, allocating capital across several assets or building leadership for a remote operation, contact Zavala Civitas for a confidential discussion about your next mining and metals appointment.
Diagnosis of Situation
A copper mining company needed a Technical Director for a concentrator experiencing inconsistent metallurgical recovery. Changes in the ore feed had made plant performance less predictable, and teams disagreed on whether the priority should be operating adjustments, equipment modifications or further capital investment.
The appointment required experience in copper flotation, the ability to evaluate plant data and the leadership skills to bring metallurgy, engineering and operations together. The director also had to be willing to work at a remote site.
Implementation
The search brief distinguished essential technical requirements from experience that would be helpful. Candidate mapping focused on comparable processing operations, including executives who had managed variable ore characteristics and worked through plant performance problems.
Interviews examined specific examples: how candidates had established the cause of a recovery loss, tested their assumptions and decided whether an intervention justified its cost.
A client-led technical discussion and a business case explored how shortlisted candidates would investigate the operation. The assessment also considered their ability to challenge existing practices constructively, develop the local technical team and work with the Operations Director. Location, working arrangements and personal commitment to the move were discussed early.
Result
The appointed Technical Director was able to establish a credible diagnostic plan, agree priorities across functions and build the evidence needed for operating and investment decisions.
Success was assessed against an agreed baseline and milestones, including process stability, metallurgical recovery, cost performance and team capability, reflecting the site’s actual conditions and the director’s scope of responsibility.
Diagnosis of Situation
A mining group operating several mines in different countries needed a Chief Financial Officer as it prepared a major expansion at one asset while sustaining investment at the others. Capital requests from each site competed for the same budget, reporting to the board and lenders was inconsistent across operations, and site finance teams followed different practices.
The appointment required experience in allocating capital across several operating assets, financing capital-intensive projects and working with boards, lenders and investors. The CFO also had to earn the confidence of site leaders used to managing their own budgets.
Implementation
The search brief distinguished essential requirements, such as multi-asset capital allocation and project financing, from helpful experience, such as a particular commodity or a listed-company background. Candidate mapping focused on finance leaders in multi-site mining and metals groups and, where the brief allowed, in other capital-intensive industries.
Interviews examined the investment decisions candidates had owned, how they ranked competing requests for capital, how they handled a financing or covenant issue and how they worked with operations leaders to challenge a site plan.
A business case explored how shortlisted candidates would build a common framework for capital allocation and reporting across sites. The assessment also considered their ability to develop the finance team and explain trade-offs clearly to the board. Travel to the sites, location and working arrangements were discussed early.
Result
The appointed CFO was positioned to set a transparent approach to capital allocation, consistent reporting across the portfolio and a credible financing plan for the expansion.
Success was assessed against an agreed baseline and milestones, including the quality of investment decisions, financing terms, reporting consistency and finance team capability, reflecting the group’s actual portfolio and the CFO’s scope of responsibility.
Author: José Carlos Hassan, Partner | Zavala Civitas Mexico is undergoing a structural energy transformation with few precedents in Latin
Key Takeaway: Canada generates more than 80% of its electricity from non-emitting sources and invested approximately CAD 40 billion in
Key Takeaway: Canada generates more than 80% of its electricity from non-emitting sources and is in the middle of one