Orla Mining names new Chief Sustainability Officer

Vancouver-based Orla Mining has named Silvana Costa as its new Chief Sustainability Officer, as its first CSO Chafika Eddine leaves to pursue doctoral studies.

Costa joins from Teck Resources, where she was in charge of the miner’s social performance for the past two and a half years, reporting to CSO Lyndon Arnall. Before that, her career spanned corporate responsibility roles at various mining firms including Equinox Gold, First Majestic Silver Corp and New Gold.

As Chief Sustainability Officer of Orla Mining, she will report to CEO Jason Simpson and be responsible for the firm’s ESG efforts, in addition to guiding internal and external stakeholder relationships.

The company, which operates three gold mines in North and Central America, is developing a climate mitigation and adaptation strategy and has designated the CSO as “accountable for identifying, assessing, managing and reporting on climate change factors to senior management and the Board of Directors on a regular basis”.

In its 2023 sustainability report, Orla mentioned its intention to set metrics and targets around carbon reduction. That year, Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions increased by 8% and 16% respectively over the previous year. Orla hasn’t started tracking Scope 3 emissions yet.

Orla’s first CSO leaving the company

Orla Mining appointed its first Chief Sustainability Officer in February 2022: Chafika Eddine joined with over 25 years of experience in the mining industry, including as a sustainability and corporate governance consultant.

She has now decided to leave the firm to complete her doctoral studies. Announcing her decision on Linkedin today (December 9), she said: “Leading Orla's sustainability efforts over the past years has been an incredible privilege. I have been fortunate to work alongside a dedicated and skilled team, including our board of directors, executives, and management, all of whom inspire and lead one of the most talented groups of professionals in the field. I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together – fostering a culture that prioritises safety and health while solidifying Orla’s reputation as a caring and responsible company.”

Orla’s CEO Jason Simpson thanked Eddine for her work over the past two years in a statement announcing Costa’s appointment as CSO. "We are pleased that Silvana has chosen to join the Orla team to continue and expand the work begun by Chafika to deliver positive benefits to all our stakeholders," he added.