James Whittaker
SVP and COO / Capstone Copper Corp.
In an exclusive interview with CEO North America, James “Jim” Whittaker, EVP and COO, discusses why Capstone Copper is strategically positioned to explore its expanding copper opportunities across the Americas.
Capstone Copper Corp. was officially formed in March 2022 following the merger of Capstone Mining and Mantos Copper.
The company’s broad portfolio of long-life copper operations includes the Pinto Valley mine in Arizona, the Cozamin mine in Zacatecas, Mexico, and the Mantos Blancos, Mantoverde, and Santo Domingo projects in Chile.
Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, the company is supported by a growing team of over 6,000 employees and contractors across Canada, Chile, the U.S., and Mexico.
Joining Capstone’s Operations
Jim Whittaker became the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Capstone Copper in May 2025, after previously serving as the Senior Vice President, Head of Chile. With 30 years of experience in the mining industry, Whittaker has held senior leadership roles at Escondida Copper Mine (BHP Chile), Haile Gold Mine (OceanaGold), and Barrick Gold.
During his time at Capstone, Whittaker has primarily focused on the company’s Chilean assets, which account for about 70% of the portfolio. Now, as COO, he oversees a broader mandate that includes operations in the U.S. and Mexico.
Speaking to us from Chile, where the Canadian now calls home, Whittaker summarizes his role: “I oversee the four operations, the execution of the Santo Domingo project, and governance related to Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) matters, as well as ensuring operational excellence. So, everything from the safety of our people to the execution of a development falls into my lap.”
“One of the things we leverage is our extremely talented team with experience from lots of different companies situated throughout the Americas. Through that team, we have been able to leverage a diverse perspective on how to look at the implementation of best practices and efficiencies across operations.”
Leading with the Right People
Whittaker tells CEO North America, that his enthusiasm for joining Capstone stemmed from the extraordinary number of unique growth opportunities he saw in the company’s future.
“Growth in copper is hard to come by. Everything’s been picked over, making it really difficult to compile a portfolio of projects that are generally in good shape and within a jurisdiction where you can operate. For me, that was a significant draw,” he explains. Another appealing aspect for the COO is that “Capstone was, and still claims to be, a highly decentralized company.”
Whittaker notes that the company maintains a “really tight” corporate G&A structure, which allows for quicker decision-making compared to its industry peers. “We push a lot of capacity and knowledge to the sites, along with the associated responsibilities. For me, it demonstrates how companies can be quicker and more agile with respect to big decisions.”
“We handle many dual roles and have collectively decided to keep a small leadership team at the top. This approach enables us to act like the fast, agile, and decentralized organization that we claim to be and have designed ourselves to be.” With “the right people at the table,” Capstone’s COO believes his company is “probably number two in the industry regarding startups.”
“In general, about two-thirds of my career I’ve been an employee working for different mining houses, and about a third of my career I’ve been a mainstream consultant as an independent. So, I’ve been fortunate to see a lot of the world and various companies, giving me a kind of a generalist perspective on the industry.”
Aligning Expansion Opportunities
Today, the $8 billion company is well-positioned to create organic growth opportunities that will drive long-term value. In Q3 2025, the growing company recorded a record revenue of $598.4 million, while its consolidated copper production grew to 55,280 tonnes.
Since his arrival at the company, Whittaker and his six-member executive team have focused particularly on expanding Capstone Copper’s assets in Chile.
“I joined the team during the construction of the Mantoverde concentrator as part of the first phase of expansion, and we managed to get it operational in record time,” Whittaker recounts.
Recently, Capstone Copper approved the Mantoverde Optimized Project, which is set to be constructed through the end of 2026 and into early 2027. “It’s not as big, but it’s highly capital intensive,” Whittaker explains.
“This project is expected to produce about 20,000 tonnes of copper per year for an investment of $176 million. You won’t find that type of return anywhere else. That’s about $9,000 per ton of capital intensity for each ton of copper produced. So, it’s a brownfield for us, and it benchmarks very well against our peer group.”
Whittaker also highlights another major development opportunity that will reshape the company: the Santo Domingo project. Located just 35 kilometers from Mantoverde, Santo Domingo is expected to elevate Capstone Copper’s consolidated copper production to 400,000 tonnes per year, “at a very low cash cost.” In Q3, 2025, Capstone announced it entered into an agreement with Orion Resource Partners for up to $360 million for a 25% interest in Santo Domingo and Sierra Norte.
“For Santo Domingo, that partnership is the key point to be able to kick off a lot of the other tasks we’re working on. Even though that project is permitted and detailed engineering is progressing, that partnership remains absolutely essential.”
Streamlining Mining Operations
Capstone Copper has established a strong reputation for its dedication to innovation, excellence, and upholding the highest standards of continuous improvement.
Whittaker states, “Since I started in the organization, we have been systematically auditing and refining how we run the business. This defines how we work, the way we work, and it also shapes the processes and routines we need to have in place to ensure efficiency and consistent operating practices.”
Continuing this effort, the COO’s current goals for improvement include streamlining operating systems, particularly in the corporate supply chain and asset management. “We have just approved a concept document that outlines our vision for operational excellence from 2026 to 2030,” he explains.
Another focus for the COO is the Pinto Valley site, where Capstone Copper is facing water supply challenges due to drought, which complicates its ability to maintain throughput.
“We are currently the only contractor operating in this part of Arizona. However, we are in constant discussions with our neighbors to explore how we can leverage partnerships with them to improve water stability at Pinto Valley. This is a key focus for us right now.”
A People-Focused Future
“One thing about my role is, it’s not just rolling up the shirt sleeves and helping with specific site issues, a lot of it is devoted to systems and process development,” Whittaker explains.
Today, and every day, the health and safety of Capstone’s employees is the top priority for its COO. Therefore, Whittaker and his team are implementing a new health, safety, and environmental process that will be standardized across all four sites.
“Ensuring that we have consistent language, measurement, and processes to protect our people is something I am dedicating a lot of time to this year. This initiative will be rolled out over three years within Capstone Copper, and I believe it is one of the most important things we are doing.”
Why Capstone is a Cut Above
According to Whittaker, what truly sets the company apart is its substantial reserves of untapped resources.
He also considers the “critical” expansion projects at Capstone Copper’s Mantoverde and Santo Domingo sites to be unique.
Following recently increased 2025 exploration expenditure guidance of $40 million, Whittaker considers Mantoverde to be a flagship project. “It’s a massive untapped sulfide resource that we don’t fully understand yet, and there’s tremendous upside potential, which I believe is interesting to the market.”
Together with the Santo Domingo site, he notes, “We will have two processing centers within 35 kilometers of each other that can handle any other mineralization from other sources in the region.”
In the end, the COO emphasizes that Capstone’s long-life expansion has only just begun: “When we think about the Atacama region of Chile, we consider how we can create synergies between these two sites. I see this as a tremendous opportunity, based not only on the upside of the resources but also on investing cautiously and intelligently in the processes that will allow us to utilize both sites together.”
