• The childhood memories of the president of PERUMIN 37 are intertwined with those of mines and camps. 

Sitting in front of her family photos with a warm smile, Jimena Sologuren Arias presents herself as a disciplined mother and expert in taking care of her two young daughters. At the same time, this young executive is pursuing a career in environmental and social sciences, which will enable her to promote the positive impact of mining in the most remote areas of our country.

“Being a mother defines a lot of who I am; it is the most important part of my life,” she says, standing next to one of her daughters, and shares her secret to balancing motherhood and work: the advice of her mother, Eva Arias.

“Something I learned from my mom and that I truly admire is passion for work. I want my daughters to see that I am hardworking, that I make an effort, that I face problems sometimes, and that there are some things that I find are extremely challenging, but one should not give up. You have to take on responsibilities and hold your head up high to get ahead. And that things do not come easy; important things require real effort," she stresses.

Undoubtedly, being the daughter of Eva Arias, president of Compañía Minera Poderosa, has set the bar high. Jimena acknowledges that this fact opens many doors for her but also brings the responsibility to live up to the expectations of being a professional that measures up to the long list of tasks she performs.

Jimena then reflects on the past, her daily life, and the long road ahead of her. She has been appointed president of PERUMIN 37, thereby becoming the third woman to take on this challenge.

She recalls that her mother was the first woman to take on that role in edition 33, "which makes this challenge doubly special for me," she says with joy. Reflecting on Claudia Cooper's presidency, now she thinks that it is her turn. 

“More and more women are assuming leadership roles in PERUMIN at an accelerated pace. That means the mining sector is changing," she reflects.

Life in Mining

At 43, Jimena has spent most of her life in the mining sector. "When I was little, I used to go to a company called SIMSA, in Junín, and it was like a five-star hotel for me. I had so much fun; there was a swimming pool, ping pong, all the children of the workers and my cousins would go there. It was in Chanchamayo, such a beautiful area. It was a dream for me," she recounts about her visits to the mine founded by her grandfather, Jesús Arias.

When she started going to Poderosa, she found a very different area, more desolate. The children of the workers did not go there, neither did her cousins. She went with her brother, and it was not as fun anymore, she explains about her childhood in Minera Poderosa, located in Pataz, La Libertad.

During her adolescence, she never thought about working in the mining sector but rather about studying environmental and social sciences to understand the relationship between humans and nature. Her goal was to create respect for nature, avoid overexploitation, and promote care and conservation. This was her initial inclination to study Environmental Sciences, a major that was taught in Peruvian universities, so she went to study at Tulane University (New Orleans, USA).

However, upon her return to Lima, four and a half years later, the moment would come when she fell in love with the mining industry. 

“I was 22 years old and did not really know what to do. At that time, a consultant came in to conduct an environmental impact study at Poderosa, and I joined as an intern. I was with the environmental team taking measurements, with sociologists conducting surveys, and that is when I realized that I wanted to be in the mining world and continue analyzing how mining can generate more development,” Jimena says.

“While it is true that I used to go to Poderosa on vacation when I was a kid, I had not been there for 10 years or more, and the change I saw was incredible. That was when I really fell in love with the mining industry,” she says.

Family Support

Fortunately, Jimena had the support and encouragement of her family to continue working for mining, especially from her grandfather Jesús Arias, who always told her that she was "his mineraza (great miner)," with great pride that she had stated working in the industry.

Her grandfather's vision of mining as a generator of development, both in the communities and among the sector's workers, greatly influenced Jimena, who initially focused on social issues and currently serves as Submanager of Social Responsibility and Communications at Compañía Minera Poderosa. She is also a board member of Asociación Pataz, a director of IPAE, and a director of the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers (IIMP).

“One of the reasons why I like working in the mining sector so much is that it allows you to collaborate with many organizations, people, and companies to bring development to different places. The goal I always set, for example with PERUMIN Inspira, is to connect all my finalists with an opportunity to grow or see how I can bring them to Poderosa. I like that and it is the goal every day, to connect for the growth of social projects and help them have more impact,” says the enthusiastic Jimena, who is now preparing to organize PERUMIN 37.