Richard Warke

A Canadian business executive based in Vancouver, Richard Warke has more than 35 years of experience in the resource sector, with mining ventures that span the globe.

Early life

Richard Warke was born and raised in Canada, and calls West Vancouver home.

Career

Richard Warke founded Augusta Group of Companies in 2005, creating a conglomerate of public companies and private businesses which includes Titan Mining Corporation, Armor Minerals Inc., Bulldog Gold Corp. and Solaris Resources Inc. under its corporate umbrella.

Titan Mining operates a zinc mine in New York State, Bullfrog Gold is developing a gold mine in a prolific mining district in Nevada, and Solaris Resources is advancing a portfolio of copper and gold projects in the Americas, including at its Warintza site in Ecuador.

In 2017 Warke co-founded Equinox Gold, one of the fastest growing gold companies in the Americas with a market cap of over $3 billion with mines in the U.S., Brazil and Mexico.

Earlier, Warke established several other resource companies, which grew to become successful operations. These include Augusta Resource Corporation, which was sold in 2014 for roughly C$667 million.

In 2008 Warke founded the Ventana Gold Corporation, selling it three years later for approximately C$1.3 billion. Following the sale of these successful ventures, Warke focused his attention on Arizona Mining Inc. and the exploration and development of its Hermosa-Taylor zinc-lead-silver deposit in Arizona.

Exploration and extraction at the site were successful, and Arizona Mining was sold for approximately C$2.1 billion in 2018. Warke also served as Executive Chair of Newcastle Gold which merged with Equinox Gold in 2017.

Based on this track record, Warke has built a strong reputation for creating successful mining companies, and is a go-to source for information about the sector. He is often consulted by news and other media outlets to offer his guidance and insight on mining-related topics.

Warke attributes much of his success to his emphasis on putting together the right supportive team, especially dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled managers. Warke has also accumulated a great deal of experience in the oil and gas industry, as well as the forestry, technology and manufacturing sectors. In addition, he has launched successful companies in the aviation and hospitality industries.

Net Worth

Last year Forbes estimated Richard Warke’s net worth at $1.1 billion.

Achievement

The extent of Richard Warke’s achievements in the mining industry are illustrated by the numbers:

Arizona Mining was sold for approximately C$2.1 billion, reflecting a 6,100% increase in share price since his initial investment.
Ventana Gold acquired the La Bodega gold project in Colombia and expanded it into one of the larger high-grade deposits in South America. It was later sold for approximately $1.6 billion, reflecting an increase of almost 13,000% in the share price.
The Rosemont copper property in Arizona was sold for roughly C$666 million, representing a 3,300% increase in share price.
The C$200 million Newcastle / Equinox Gold deal generated a 700% increase in the share price.