Sigma Lithium Corp (TSX-V:SGML, NASDAQ:SGML) CEO Ana Cabral was named "Mining Person of the Year" for 2022 by The Northern Miner.
Cabral was presented with the award during the Canadian Mining Symposium 2023 held within the London Metal Exchange Week in London.
“We believe Ana's leadership was essential in Sigma Lithium's rise from IPO in 2018 through construction and commissioning of the Grota do Cirilo mine, and first production in 2023,” The Northern Miner’s editor in chief Alicia Hiyate said in bestowing the award.
“As a co-founder, then co-CEO and most recently as CEO, she has been key to the company's ability to obtain financing in each stage, and the company's impressive share price rise since early 2022.”
Hiyate highlighted Cabral’s, and Sigma’s, commitment to developing Grota do Cirilo with the lowest possible environmental impact, targeting end-user and consumer concerns. Hiyate said Cabral was a “driving force” behind opening up Brazil as a significant new lithium mining jurisdiction.
Over her eleven years of leadership, Cabral helped to cultivate a culture of inclusivity and meritocracy at Sigma Lithium, fostering an environment where talent and dedication, irrespective of gender, age, or ethnicity, are celebrated and aligned with the company's ESG-centric purpose.
The CEO has played an instrumental role in steering the company from a struggling junior explorer to one of the world's largest lithium producers.
"I am honored to have been selected by Canada's The Northern Miner as 'Person of the Year' (a woman from Latin America),” Cabral said in a statement.
“We are just getting started as a producer but have already reached the consistency and cadence of shipments that are the hallmarks of established producers in scale."
Sigma Lithium’s Grota do Cirilo project in Brazil is at the forefront of sustainability, pioneering Triple Zero Green Lithium production, with Phase 1 anticipated to yield 270,000 tonnes annually, and subsequent phases expected to boost production to 766,000 tonnes yearly. The Greentech lithium plant employs renewable energy and recycled water, and produces dry-stacked tailings, embodying the company’s dedication to sustainability throughout the EV battery materials supply chain.