Soma Gold Taps Mineros Veteran to Navigate Colombian Crossroads

VANCOUVER, BC – November 12, 2026 – In the extractive industries, a board appointment is rarely just a reshuffling of resumes. It is a signaling mechanism. For Soma Gold Corp., a Vancouver-based junior miner operating in the complex terrain of Antioquia, Colombia, the nomination of Andrés Restrepo Isaza to its Board of Directors is a clear declaration of intent. Announced ahead of the company's December 10 Annual General and Special Meeting, the move highlights a critical pivot: the recognition that scaling operations in modern Colombia requires as much political and social diplomacy as it does geological expertise.

Restrepo is not a standard corporate addition. Having served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Mineros S.A. from 2015 until April 2025, he brings a decade of heavyweight, localized experience to a junior company standing at a crucial operational crossroads. Soma Gold is currently operating its El Bagre Mill at 675 tonnes per day (TPD), but holds the regulatory permits to double that capacity to 1,400 TPD. Bridging that gap, however, requires navigating a labyrinth of regional environmental compliance, community relations, and shifting national policies.

The Weight of Antioquia

To understand the significance of this nomination, one must first understand Antioquia. The region is historically rich in gold, serving as the beating heart of Colombia's mining sector. Yet, it is also a landscape fraught with socio-economic complexities. Formal mining operations frequently intersect with informal and illegal mining activities, creating friction over land use, environmental degradation, and security.

For the communities surrounding the El Bagre complex, the expansion of a milling facility is measured not merely in throughput or shareholder dividends, but in tangible impacts on water quality, road infrastructure, and local employment. Maintaining a "social license to operate" in this environment is not a public relations exercise; it is an existential requirement.

During his tenure at Mineros S.A., Restrepo built a reputation for prioritizing this exact dynamic. Under his leadership, Mineros became known for its robust environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, consistently publishing comprehensive sustainability metrics and prioritizing local supplier development. For a junior miner like Soma Gold, absorbing this institutional knowledge is invaluable.

"We are very pleased to put forward Andrés as a nominee to our Board," Geoff Hampson, Chairman and CEO of Soma Gold, noted in the company's official release. "His decade of leadership at Mineros, together with his deep knowledge of the Colombian mining sector and his proven ability to build high-performance teams, will be a tremendous asset to Soma as we continue to grow our operations in Antioquia."

Unlocking the Bottleneck

Soma Gold’s primary ambition is to finance its regional exploration and the El Bagre expansion through internally generated funds. While the permits for 1,400 TPD are already in hand, executing that expansion is a delicate logistical dance. Increasing capacity means increased water usage, expanded tailings management, and heightened scrutiny from Corantioquia, the regional environmental authority.

Restrepo’s background—holding a production engineering degree from EAFIT University and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University—positions him at the precise intersection of operational discipline and public policy. This dual fluency is essential for unlocking the El Bagre bottleneck.

A seasoned Latin American mining analyst, speaking on the condition of anonymity, observed that securing permits is only the first chapter of the story. The real test for junior producers is maintaining continuous compliance while scaling up, a process that often strains existing infrastructure and community patience. Bringing in an executive who has already managed large-scale operations and navigated Corantioquia's rigorous oversight acts as a massive de-risking maneuver for institutional investors.

"Having spent more than a decade in the Colombian mining industry, I have seen first-hand the importance of operational discipline, responsible community engagement and strong governance in creating lasting value," Restrepo stated regarding his nomination. His acknowledgment of these specific pillars suggests a mandate to fortify Soma's operational foundation before aggressive expansion takes place.

Navigating Shifting National Winds

Beyond the regional challenges of Antioquia, Soma Gold must also contend with macroeconomic and political headwinds emanating from Bogota. Colombia’s current administration has signaled a clear intent to increase state revenues from natural resources, sparking ongoing debates over higher mining royalties, stricter environmental baseline assessments, and the formalization of artisanal miners.

For a junior gold producer, these policy shifts represent a landscape of increased regulatory uncertainty and potentially compressed margins. Stricter environmental regulations can extend project timelines and inflate compliance costs, while changing tax structures directly impact project economics.

In this climate, veteran local leadership is a critical buffer. Restrepo’s established network within Colombian governmental agencies, including the Agencia Nacional de Minería (ANM) and the Ministry of Mines and Energy, provides Soma Gold with a strategic line of sight into impending regulatory shifts. It allows the company to transition from a reactive posture to a proactive one, engaging with policymakers and local stakeholders before minor compliance issues escalate into operational standstills.

As shareholders prepare to vote on December 10, the broader market will be watching closely. The integration of a former major-producer CEO into a junior board is a clear indicator of maturation. It reflects a sobering reality of the modern resource sector: the gold beneath the ground is only as valuable as the governance structures built above it. For Soma Gold, the path to 1,400 tonnes per day will not be paved merely with capital and machinery, but with the quiet, rigorous work of community consensus and regulatory foresight.