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Aurora Williams

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Williams and the second or maternal family name is Baussa.
Aurora Williams
Minister of Mining
Incumbent
Assumed office
16 August 2023
PresidentGabriel Boric
Preceded byMarcela Hernando
In office
11 March 2014 – 11 March 2018
PresidentMichelle Bachelet
Preceded byHernán de Solminihac
Succeeded byBaldo Prokurica
Personal details
Born (1962-08-13) 13 August 1962 (age 62)
Antofagasta, Chile
Political partySocial Democrat Radical Party
Radical Party
Websitewww.minmineria.gob.cl/ministerio/aurora-williams-baussa-ministra-de-mineria/

Aurora Elvira Williams Baussa (born 13 August 1962)[1] is a Chilean economist and politician affiliated with the Radical Party (PR).[2] She currently serves as Minister of Mining under President Gabriel Boric, having been reappointed to the post in August 2023.[3] She previously held the same position during the second administration of President Michelle Bachelet from 2014 to 2018, becoming the first and, so far, only person to serve a full presidential term as Minister of Mining in Chilean history.[4]

Early life and education

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Williams was born in Antofagasta, Chile, to Federico Williams Rojo and Rina Ester Baussa Ortiz.[5] She earned a degree in ingeniería comercial—a program combining economics and business administration—from the Catholic University of the North, followed by a master's in Business Administration and Management from the University of Lleida in Spain.[6] She also completed an MBA in Business Management and Training at IEDE Business School in Chile.[7]

Career

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Williams has worked in both the public and private sectors, primarily in executive roles. She served as client manager and later as administrative and financial manager at the Antofagasta Sanitary Services Company, and then as client manager at Aguas de Antofagasta. Her roles focused on resource management, goal planning, and procurement.

During Michelle Bachelet's first presidential term (2006–2010), Williams was appointed Regional Ministerial Secretary (Seremi) of Public Works for the Antofagasta Region. In this capacity, she oversaw infrastructure investments in the region and coordinated the reconstruction efforts following the 2007 Tocopilla earthquake.[8]

Subsequently, she worked as administrative and financial manager at Antofagasta Terminal International (ATI), a port concessionaire responsible for 60% of private mining exports in the region and associated with the Luksic Group.[9]

Minister of Mining (2014–2018)

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In March 2014, Williams was appointed Minister of Mining by President Michelle Bachelet, becoming the second woman to lead the ministry after Karen Poniachik.[9] As minister, she also assumed the presidency of the boards of the state-owned National Mining Company (ENAMI) and the Chilean Copper Commission (COCHILCO).

During her tenure, she:

  • Oversaw the repeal of the Ley Reservada del Cobre, removing the secrecy surrounding defense-related copper revenues.[10]
  • Promoted the capitalization of Codelco to finance its structural projects.[11]
  • Introduced legislation creating a Price Stabilization Mechanism for Small-Scale Mining.[12]
  • Oversaw the definitive closure of two controversial mining projects: the Chilean-Argentine Pascua Lama project and the Dominga project.[13][14][15]
  • Led the government's response to the fatal flooding incident at the Cerro Bayo mine in Chile Chico in 2017, where two miners were trapped and later found dead.[16]

She also created the National Lithium Commission, aimed at developing a public policy for lithium mining in Chile. The commission classified lithium as a strategic mineral and recommended the State retain ownership of lithium resources.[17] However, following negotiations, the Chilean Economic Development Agency (CORFO) reached an agreement with private mining company SQM (Soquimich) to continue exploiting lithium until 2030.[18][19] This followed a failed public tender during Sebastián Piñera's first administration, which had awarded lithium rights to SQM despite the company's ongoing legal disputes with the State. The controversy led to the resignation and later prosecution of then-Deputy Mining Secretary Pablo Wagner for document forgery.[20]

Other roles

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Between March and October 2018, after leaving the national cabinet, Williams served as Executive Secretary of the Municipal Corporation for Social Development in Antofagasta.[21][22] Her appointment by right-wing mayor Karen Rojo caused discontent within her own Radical Party.[23]

Return as Minister of Mining (2023–)

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In August 2023, President Gabriel Boric appointed Williams as Minister of Mining in a cabinet reshuffle, replacing Marcela Hernando.[3]

Personal life

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Williams has been married to Homero Francisco Bonilla Pizarro since 2000[24] and has one daughter.[25][26]

Honors

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Foreign honors

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References

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  1. ^ "El primer gabinete de Michelle Bachelet – Especial de Emol.com". www.emol.com. Retrieved 2025-07-11.
  2. ^ "Partido Radical cuestiona a Aurora Williams por su cargo en municipio de Antofagasta". www.regionalista.cl. 8 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b Ningthoujam, Natalia (2023-08-17). "Chile's President Reorganizes Cabinet For 3rd Time Amid Low Approval Rating". Latin Times. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  4. ^ "Historia del Ministerio de Minería". 2018. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Anales de la República; Aurora Williams Baussa". www.anales.cl. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Seminario "Proveedores y Minería: hacia una Economía del Conocimiento"". STEPS AMÉRICA LATINA (in Spanish). 17 April 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  7. ^ "Seminario "Proveedores y Minería: hacia una Economía del Conocimiento"". STEPS AMÉRICA LATINA (in European Spanish). 17 April 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  8. ^ "Qué Pasa (magazine)". Qué Pasa (in Spanish). 30 January 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Aurora Williams, Segunda Mujer Ministra de Minería en Chile" (in Spanish). Portal Minero. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  10. ^ "Ley Reservada del Cobre dejó hoy de ser secreta". La Tercera (in Spanish). 17 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  11. ^ "Bachelet promulga Ley de Capitalización de Codelco". Minería Chilena (in Spanish). 19 January 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Bachelet promulga ley que crea mecanismo de estabilización del precio del cobre para pequeña minería". Economía y Negocios (in Spanish). 20 December 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Gobierno y críticas desde Argentina por Pascua Lama: "Vamos a respetar la autoridad ambiental"". Emol.com (in Spanish). 20 May 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  14. ^ "SMA sanciona con la clausura definitiva al proyecto minero Pascua Lama" (in Spanish). Superintendencia del Medio Ambiente. 18 January 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Comité de ministros rechazó el proyecto minero Dominga". Cooperativa (in Spanish). 21 August 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  16. ^ "Empresa minera oficializó fallecimiento de trabajadores atrapados en Chile Chico". Cooperativa (in Spanish). 27 June 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  17. ^ "Litio, una fuente de energía, una oportunidad para Chile. Informe final" (PDF) (in European Spanish). 1 February 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  18. ^ "Corfo y SQM firmaron acuerdo de conciliación por la explotación del Salar de Atacama". Cooperativa (in European Spanish). 17 January 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  19. ^ "Corfo tras acuerdo con SQM: Chile recuperó el litio para Chile". Cooperativa (in European Spanish). 26 January 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  20. ^ "Caso litio: exsubsecretario de Piñera enfrenta formalización por fallida licitación a SQM" (in European Spanish). 21 October 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  21. ^ "Exministra de Minería asume como secretaria ejecutiva de la Cmds de Antofagasta" (in European Spanish). 29 March 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  22. ^ "Antofagasta: Aurora Williams presentó su renuncia como secretaria ejecutiva de la CMDS" (in European Spanish). 29 October 2018. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  23. ^ "Partido Radical cuestiona a Aurora Williams por su cargo en municipio de Antofagasta". www.regionalista.cl. 8 April 2018.
  24. ^ "Anales de la República; Aurora Williams Baussa". www.anales.cl. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  25. ^ LUN. "LUN.COM Mobile" (in European Spanish). Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  26. ^ "Los debutantes - Revista Qué Pasa". Revista Qué Pasa (in European Spanish). 30 January 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  27. ^ [1]
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