- After 15 years of operation, the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) has restructured its executive management in Latin America and Europe.
- Yves Bertran stepped down from his position as Executive Director of ARM Europe and will continue to support the organization as a Senior Advisor.
- Marcin Piersiak takes over as Executive Director of ARM Europe.
The Alliance for Responsible Mining was created in 2004 as a result of the pioneering “Oro Verde” (Green Gold) initiative and the collective efforts of a team committed to the development of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM), led by geologist and researcher Cristina Echavarría, who is currently a member of ARM Board of Directors.
Thereafter, ARM has expanded its operations not only in Latin America but also in Europe and Africa working for the development of mining communities. Over the last years, this growth has been led by Yves Bertran, who after 10 years at ARM, stepped down from his executive role. During this period, Yves spent 3 years as Executive Director before taking over as Executive Director of ARM Europe in 2020. In this regard, Bertran said:
“With the support of a strong, well-structured team, a board of directors with new members and a stable presence in Europe and several ongoing projects in Africa, ARM is today a sound organization that has succeeded in expanding without losing track of our essential mission to support mining communities. I would like to say that it has been a great pleasure working with such an engaged team, being always in good spirits and having a good work environment, even in the most trying times. This was truly a life lesson that I will not soon forget. Today I pass on the legacy to Marcin, yet it feels natural to me now, because we have worked together over all these years and it is likely that I would not have been able to become a director and accomplish so many goals without his help.”
The Alliance for Responsible Mining will continue the development of strategic plans and global coordination from Latin America, with its headquarters in Colombia, and the operation of regional offices in other countries based on specific demands and needs of each territory.
Marcin Piersiak leaves his current position as ARM Executive Director to assume Yves Bertran’s position of Executive Director ARM Europe. One of his main challenges will be to strengthen the articulation between projects and strategies in producing and partner countries in Europe, North America and Asia.
Moreover, thanks to the entry into force of the European Union’s Conflict Materials Regulation and the growing importance of building responsible supply chains, many developed countries have been taking significant measures having a direct impact on small-scale mining. This represents a challenge for ARM in terms of aligning its nature as an organization with roots in ASM producing countries across Latin America, having a greater incidence on the global political agenda and involving the needs of men and women miners in these discussions.
About this challenge and his recent appointment at ARM, Marcin said:
“After more than 10 years of service at ARM from Colombia and given this incredible opportunity to learn more about the sector, I look forward to further contributing to the organization in this new role by maximizing benefits of ARM presence in Europe and the United States to support women and men who make a living from artisanal and small-scale mining. We have a committed Board of Directors, an experienced global team and thankfully, we will be able to count on Yves’ advice and friendship. Under the Sustainable Mines Program, our new organizational strategy, which consolidates lessons learned from Fairmined and CRAFT implementation over the years, and our model are more poised to bring beneficial value to public and private sector allies and collaborators.”
Thanks to the new global strategy of the Sustainable Mines Program, aimed at empowering artisanal and small-scale miners to become profitable and sustainable businesses in partnership with market stakeholders, ARM is now entering a new stage of growth and expansion, a challenge that will be assumed by whoever takes over the global management from Colombia, with new ideas and experiences for growth and continuous improvement of the organization. In this regard, Felix Hruschka, ARM Chairman of the Board, said:
“For more than a decade, Marcin and Yves have been the backbone of our institutional growth. Their deep knowledge and understanding of the ASM sector have helped us implement our mission and make significant progress towards ARM vision, expanding our professional team to more than fifty people and transmitting the “ARM spirit”, even in the most difficult times, such as last year. Given the current change of roles with Yves shifting from Executive Director ARM Europe to a Chief Senior Advisor role and Marcin from Executive Director of ARM Head Office in Colombia to lead ARM Europe is a unique opportunity to strengthen our organization and better contribute to the development of responsible ASM. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to both of them for their continued commitment and loyalty for the benefit of artisanal women and men miners as well as our institution.”
The Board of Directors shall promptly present the results of the new Latin America Executive Director selection process.
For further information, please contact
Communications Department
arm@responsiblemines.org