Compañía Regional Aguas Marítimas S.A.

The renowned scientist and tech entrepreneur from Antofagasta joins the company’s board of directors.

On May 29, the incorporation of the renowned scientist and tech entrepreneur from Antofagasta, Pamela Chávez Crooker, was made official as a new member of CRAMSA’s Board of Directors. The company plans to develop significant initiatives that will help address water supply needs in the Antofagasta Region. Chávez is an aquaculture engineer from the University of Antofagasta, holds a master’s degree in Aquatic Microbiology, a PhD in Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology from Kyoto University, and a postdoctoral degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has led three Science and Technology-Based Companies (STBC) — Biotecnología Antofagasta, Aguamarina, and Domolif.

The double winner of the National Innovation Award, Avonni, explained her expectations in the new role. “I hope to contribute to the continuous growth of CRAMSA and, with it, to the growth of the Antofagasta Region, applying my technical and professional experience to tackle the enormous challenges of the water industry, where innovation and sustainability are fundamental,” she said.

She also highlighted that “the multipurpose desalination project ‘Aguas Marítimas’ driven by the company is transformative and enabling for new sustainable initiatives, concretely contributing to the sustainable development of the Region. It is an honor to participate in the strategic vision of a team committed to this purpose.”

Pamela Chávez, who is also the dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the Universidad Alberto Hurtado, was recognized by Women in Mining in 2021 as one of the 100 inspiring women in Chilean mining in the Innovation category. In 2023, along with other notable women, she founded Women Board Up, an association to increase female participation on corporate boards, currently serving on other distinguished boards.

She becomes the second woman to join CRAMSA’s Board of Directors, following Aurora Williams, who left the position to become the current Minister of Mining.

Strategic Contribution

Board members highlighted the contribution that Chávez’s presence brings to the company’s strategy and its goal of strengthening the local water industry and regional development. “Her solid track record in science, technological innovation, and business, along with a representative perspective of the Antofagasta Region, will be a tremendous asset to CRAMSA’s Board, driving sustainability strategies that will strengthen our purpose,” said Cecil Chellew, Chairman of the Board.

In the same vein, Peter Hatton, General Manager of CRAMSA, described her as “a brilliant woman with an innovative outlook and a very practical vision that will undoubtedly help refresh the Board’s vision to achieve our goal of becoming a sustainable solution to the growing water needs in the Antofagasta Region.”

Pamela Chávez’s incorporation adds to the recent arrival on the Board of Cristián Edwards, Master of Science in Finance, economist, specialist in Corporate Finance and Business Strategy, who has extensive international experience as a consultant and director in technology, e-commerce, and fintech companies. “At CRAMSA, we are working to drive what is now the largest infrastructure project in the country and Latin America, which entails a huge challenge that could mark a before and after for the Antofagasta Region,” concluded Edwards.