BACC Private Dinner with Dr José Luis Manzano

Latin America's Critical Minerals Moment: A Private Dinner with Dr José Luis Manzano

As two weeks of mining and critical minerals events got underway in London, the British Argentine Chamber of Commerce brought together a select group of industry leaders for a private dinner at the official residence of the Embassy of Argentina in the United Kingdom.

The timing was deliberate. With the global energy transition accelerating demand for the minerals that Latin America holds in abundance, there is no better moment for the region's governments, investors, and industry to be in the same room as the world's leading mining and energy institutions — and no better place to have that conversation than London, the global capital of mining finance.

A Room That Reflected the Moment

The evening was attended by H.E. Ambassador Mariana Plaza of Argentina, H.E. Ambassador Ignacio Higueras Hare of Peru, and H.E. Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso of Ecuador — a remarkable gathering of three of Latin America's most significant mining nations represented at the highest diplomatic level in the UK.

Ing. Javier Alvarez, Chairman of the BACC, hosted alongside the ambassadors, bringing together over thirty senior executives from the mining and energy sectors.

The guest list reflected the full weight of the industry: representatives from Glencore, BHP, Rio Tinto, Anglo American, Teck Resources, Arcadium Lithium, Volcan Compañía Minera, bp, Balanz Capital, ERM, Fastmarkets, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Shanghai Metals Market, International Copper Association, the International Lithium Association, the Critical Minerals Association UK, the Toronto Stock Exchange, the Oxford Mining Club, Women in Mining UK, Chatham House, and the Department for Business and Trade.

The Keynote: Latin America as the Backbone of the Energy Transition

The keynote address was delivered by Dr José Luis Manzano, Founder and President of Integra Capital, one of the most prominent voices in Latin American energy and resources investment.

Dr Manzano set out a compelling vision for the region's role in the global energy transition — arguing that Latin America possesses not only the mineral endowment but the institutional foundations and track record to serve as a reliable, long-term supplier of the critical resources the world needs: lithium, copper, and the full suite of materials underpinning the shift to clean energy.

He drew a striking parallel between Latin America's established role as a guarantor of global food security — a dependable, decades-long supplier to the world — and the region's emerging opportunity to fulfil an equivalent role in the critical minerals supply chain. The analogy was both apt and resonant: the same geography, the same natural abundance, and the same potential for trust-based, long-term supply relationships.

Why This Matters for the BACC

The BACC has long recognised that the UK-Argentine relationship extends well beyond trade in goods and services. Argentina's extraordinary mineral wealth — including the world's second largest lithium reserves and significant copper, gold, and silver deposits — positions it as a country of strategic importance to the global energy transition, and to the UK institutions and investors who are shaping it.

Evenings like this, bringing together ambassadors, industry leaders, financiers, and policymakers in a setting conducive to genuine conversation, are at the heart of what the BACC does. We are proud to have played a convening role at such a significant moment.

The British Argentine Chamber of Commerce has been facilitating UK-Argentine business relationships for 30 years. For more information about BACC events and membership, visit baccnetwork.com or contact [email protected].