Richard Warke
Richard William Warke | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, Mining Executive |
| Years active | Over 30 years |
| Known for | Chairman of Augusta Group of Companies; partnership stakes in PGA Tour and Fenway Sports Group |
Richard William Warke is a billionaire entrepreneur headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. He serves as chairman of the Augusta Group of Companies, which encompasses Titan Mining Corp and Solaris Resources Corp.
Additionally, Warke holds partnership stakes in the PGA Tour and Fenway Sports Group, the proprietors of sports franchises such as the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool, among other athletic investments.
Career
Warke's involvement in the mining sector spans more than three decades. An early significant transaction in his career was the 2011 sale of Ventana Gold Corp. to Eike Batista for C$1.6 billion. Ventana Gold specialized in advancing the La Bodega Project located in Colombia’s California-Vetas region.
In 2014, he orchestrated the sale of Augusta Resource Corp., an exploration firm focused on the Rosemont Copper project in Arizona. Acting as Executive Chairman, Warke guided its amicable acquisition by HudBay Minerals Inc. for C$666 million.
The year 2016 saw Warke establish NewCastle Gold with the goal of developing the Castle Mountain Gold Project, a previously operational heap-leach mine situated in California. Following intensive drilling efforts, NewCastle combined with two other companies in 2017 to create Equinox Gold, which currently holds a valuation of $4 billion.
In 2018, Warke divested Arizona Mining Inc., a company he founded in 2006 and led as Executive Chairman. This enterprise operated a zinc, lead, and silver mine near the U.S.-Mexico border and uncovered the Taylor deposit, recognized as one of the largest zinc reserves worldwide. The Australian mining corporation South32 acquired Arizona Mining for C$2.1 billion.