Soleil Metals Appoints Franco Arista and Sonia Lou to Strategic Positions to Consolidate its Growth in Peru

Soleil Metals, one of Peru's leading gold producers and the Peruvian subsidiary of the OCIM group, announces the appointment of Franco Arista as Commercial Manager and of Sonia Lou how Director of Sustainability. Both are based in Lima and report to Ivan Salas, CEO of Soleil Metals. These additions mark a structuring phase for a company that operates two processing plants, Yacari and Victoria, and is exclusively supplied with gold ore from formalized artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) from southern Peru.

Franco Arista

With over fifteen years of experience in responsible artisanal mining in Peru, Arista oversees the sourcing of gold ore from ASM, consolidates partnerships with formalized producers in southern Peru, and contributes to the operational growth of Soleil Metals' integrated chain.

Between 2019 and 2024, he nationally coordinated the UNDP's planetGOLD program, implemented on behalf of the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Peru. He also led the development of “Qori,” an application for real-time gold transaction registration, which won double awards at the global Innovation X Labs competition (USAID, Moore Foundation, Microsoft, ESRI). He joins Soleil Metals after having served as Deputy Manager of Sustainability and Corporate Development at Veta Dorada.

Franco is an Agricultural Engineer with a postgraduate degree in Environmental Sciences from the National Agrarian University La Molina (UNALM, Lima). He also holds an International Diploma in Mining Business Management from ESAN and a Tech MBA from UTEC, and in 2024 completed the executive program “Leading Digital Transformation” at IE Business School (Madrid).

“At a time when recruiting and retaining artisanal miners is our operational priority, Franco brings fifteen years of trust built with this audience on the ground, in the same regions where we operate. His experience will help us achieve our production goals and, more broadly, scale our model to a truly mass-critical responsible MAPE value chain,” notes Ivan Salas, CEO of Soleil Metals.

Sonia Lou - Director of Sustainability

Sonia leads Soleil Metals' sustainability function, covering ESG legal advisory, environmental and social standards, labor and human rights, permitting and licensing, administrative litigation, and the development and implementation of integrated environmental and sustainability management systems. She acts as Soleil Metals' liaison with governmental and regulatory authorities on ESG matters and ensures continuous alignment between field operations and the principles governing the OCIM group's integrated and responsible value chain.

Lawyer with extensive experience in extractive sector governance, environmental management, and human rights. Spent over a decade in the hydrocarbon sector, most recently as Environmental and Human Rights Lead at PetroTal Peru. Previously held senior corporate responsibility positions at Gran Tierra Energy and Petrolífera Petroleum del Peru, and served as advisor to the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Peru, as well as Commissioner of the Native Communities Program at the Ombudsman's Office.

She holds a Master's degree in Environmental Management and Ecology from Ricardo Palma University and is currently completing a program on Sustainability Strategies and Opportunities for Industry at MIT Professional Education.

“Sonia's depth of experience in environmental governance, human rights, and stakeholder engagement is exactly what Soleil Metals needs at this stage of its development. Her arrival strengthens our ability to operate in line with the highest international standards, while remaining grounded in the realities of Peruvian artisanal mining,” explains Ivan Salas, CEO of Soleil Metals.