Meet Héctor López, our Corporate Affairs Specialist in Land Access in Peru.  

He was born in Apurimac, a town in southern Peru, and studied communications. Héctor has been working in mining for 17 years and has always dedicated to social management and community relations, with focus on exploration projects. 

His mother is of Quechua origin and taught him to speak Quechua, a language that originated among the indigenous people of Peru. His ancestry is of strong Inca influence and his grandfather was the one who passed on his bond with Mother Earth and the Andean worldview. 

Working at BHP since 2016, today he is part of the BHP Exploration team in Peru and works in the south of the country with indigenous communities. “I understand them, and I share topics of their uses and customs, myths and rites. It is the Andean cosmovision. To understand them, you have to understand the Andean cycle, the harvest, the sowing, and the carnivals”, he said. 

Héctor works travelling in periods of 20 days, where he coexists and lives with the communities. “This is where the bonds of trust are generated. We are part of your community and that opens doors for us. The time that one shares is fundamental for the relationship”, he said. 

Héctor sees the communities as strategic partners and believes that social value can only be achieved with a good and close relationship that lasts over time.