“After 20 years in the mining industry, I’m looking forward to combining my own experience with the expertise of the Copperstone team. I have had the privilege of getting to know many mining companies around the world, both in my role as Business Area Manager at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions and as a partner at McKinsey with a focus on mining. But every company is unique. At Copperstone, we have this combination of skills that gives us great opportunities. We are going to build a world-class mine together”, says Henrik Ager. 

Before the first official working day, Henrik started to get familiar with Copperstone’s operations. Once established, he already had met several people in the organisation and got a good idea of the company’s work ahead. 

“We have a very exciting and fun phase of mine planning ahead of us. For example, I’m looking forward to designing the new mine, which will be set in the existing but abandoned mining site of Viscaria. We are going to implement solutions that make Viscaria one of the copper producers in the world with lowest environmental and climate footprint.  It is also absolutely crucial for Copperstone’s success that we continue to build an organisation of mining experts, that we succeed in being an attractive employer and community player in Kiruna”, Henrik continues.  

In the near future, his and Copperstone’s work will focus on preparing before the decision on the company’s application for an environmental permit, which was submitted in March 2022. With an approval, planning enters the next phase: starting up a full-scale production operation.

“After all, Copperstone will be mining in Sweden, which has very clear and – from an international perspective – strict environmental legislation. Within that framework, we work to be at the forefront of the technology we use in mining and logistics, not least to achieve the goal of minimising the impact of our operations on the local environment.”  

Talking about Copperstone’s role in society, Henrik describes an industry that is an important part of the solution to the challenges our world is facing.

“We will be mining copper, which plays a key role in society’s environmental transformation. All things considered, Copperstone has an important mission, both in its core business and by contributing to the adoption of new, more sustainable technological solutions in the mining industry”, Henrik concludes.

Learn more about Hernik Agers’ experience and background in the press release.