• At IMARC 2025, a delegation of Chilean public and private sector representatives held a full schedule of meetings with representatives of Australia’s mining and infrastructure sectors and investment funds to promote new investment opportunities in Chile.

Chile’s participation at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) 2025 in Sydney – the world’s premier mining industry event – marked the start of a week focused on promoting mining and infrastructure investment in our country.

The Chilean delegation was led by Mining Undersecretary Suina Chahuán and included the Chilean Ambassador to Australia, Beatriz de la Fuente; Claudio Soto, Acting Director General of Concessions; Lorena Araya, Head of the Hydraulic and Water Projects Unit of the General Directorate of Concessions (DGC); Christoff Janse, Mining Sector Leader at InvestChile; and Alejandra Silva, the agency’s Investment Manager. Also in attendance were representatives of the Mining Ministry, the Public Works Ministry, the DGC, the Chilean- Australian Chamber of Commerce (Auscham), Andesmets and ProChile Australia.

First on the schedule was a Networking Breakfast organized by the Australia-Latin America Business Council (ALABC), which brought together close to 100 public and private sector representatives.

The delegation then attended a kick-off meeting to strengthen Chile’s profile at IMARC, followed by networking activities with delegations from different national governments during Meet & Greet Opportunities.

The day wrapped up with a roundtable discussion sponsored by EY that featured a presentation by EY Partner and Oceania Mining & Metals Leader, Michael Rundus, on the Top 10 Risks and Opportunities 2026. The discussion was moderated by Matías Moroso, a member of the EY Chile tax team.

Other speakers included Christoff Janse, who focused on mining investment opportunities in Chile; Claudio Soto, who addressed the public infrastructure portfolio; and Undersecretary Suina Chahuán, who reiterated the Chilean Government’s commitment to sustainable growth and public-private collaboration.

Ambassador Beatriz de la Fuente highlighted Chile’s favorable business climate and strategic alliance with Australia.

High-level meetings and promotion of Chile as a regional hub

Day two activities included the inauguration of the ALABC Latin America Lounge, with Queensland Minister of Finance, Trade, Employment and Training, the Hon. Rosslyn Bates MP in attendance, along with ALABC President Richard Andrews.

Bilateral meetings followed with officials from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including H.E. Eng. Khalid Almudaifer, Vice Minister; Mr. Abdulrahman AlBelushi, Deputy Minister for Mineral Resources Management; Mr. Turki Alsabhan, Director of Mining Investment; and Eng. Adnan Abualsaud, International Relations Manager, to address new opportunities for cooperation in mining.

The Chilean delegation also attended a meeting with the Queensland Minister of Finance and Trade, the Hon. Ros Bates MP, to discuss collaboration on infrastructure and METS and to extend an invitation to visit Chile.

The same day, delegate Christoff Janse also participated in the ALABC panel, “Juniors Driving the Next Wave of Discoveries in Latin America”, highlighting Chile’s advantages in mineral exploration.

Infrastructure projects: a full schedule of meetings with companies and government officials

During the rest of the week, the delegates participated in more than 10 bilateral meetings and two technical visits as part of the joint public infrastructure promotion agenda led by InvestChile and the DGC.

To promote Chile’s portfolio of concession projects and define avenues for collaboration, Alejandra Silva, Claudio Soto, Lorena Araya and Ambassador de la Fuente met with senior representatives of The GEO Group Australia, IFM Investors, the Government of Victoria’s Infrastructure Division, Hall Chadwick, the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) and EY Australia.

The delegation also visited the Sydney Desalination Plant Pty Limited and Sydney Water’s PRW Plant to learn about advanced water management solutions applicable to Chile, and participated in Chile Networking Night, organized by Auscham, Andesmets and ProChile Australia.

From exchanges with investors and pension fund representatives to visits to critical infrastructure, the mission in Australia strengthened Chile’s role as a competitive regional hub for foreign investment in mining, infrastructure and sustainable development, while opening up new opportunities with strategic Australian partners.