Jairo Bernal

Chief Financial Officer
Joint Company Secretary

MBA, MAcc, BAcc, FCPA, GAICD

Mr Bernal is an experienced finance executive with nearly 25 years of experience in the global mining and energy transition sectors, including roles across Australia, China, Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, and the Philippines. He has deep expertise in lithium and critical minerals, having held senior leadership roles in companies with market capitalisations of up to A$3 billion.

Mr Bernal was most recently Head of Finance APAC and Company Secretary at SQM Australia Pty Ltd (NYSE: SQM), where he led the financial strategy for the US$2.5 billion Mt Holland Lithium Project and played a key role in the A$1.7 billion acquisition of Azure Minerals Limited. He also served as a Non-Executive Director of Azure Minerals Limited and has previously held senior financial roles with Red 5 Limited, OZ Minerals Limited, Avanco Resources Limited, and Sumatra Copper & Gold Plc.

His experience spans equity and debt financing, M&A execution, international tax structuring, ERP implementation, and financial governance across the ASX, NYSE, TSX, and LSE. He is recognised for building high-performing teams, driving capital efficiency, and delivering value in capital-intensive environments.

Mr Bernal holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master and Bachelor of Accounting. He is a Fellow of CPA Australia (FCPA) and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, he remains actively involved in the mining sector, including as a member of the Resources & Energy Committee of CPA Australia.