Dr Klaus Petersen is a Brazilian national with over 35 years of experience across iron, gold, copper manganese and rare earth projects in Brazil. He has built an extensive network with mining investors, financiers, governmental and environmental agencies while driving successful exploration and mining development programs across South America.
Dr Petersen co-founded several Australian, Brazilian and Canadian companies; and has held successful executive and technical directorship on ASX-listed companies as well as being a president and in-country manager for operations in Brazil.
Dr Petersen spent six years as chief geologist at Centaurus Resources (now Centaurus Metals) where he was one of the co-founders. Prior to that, he worked with Vale's exploration division on gold targets in Brazil's Iron Quadrangle and later completed his PhD on Anglo Gold Ashanti’s Serra Grande mine in Goiás State, Brazil. In 2003, he moved to Australia to work with the University of Western Australia on the gold mineralisation of complex hydrothermal systems in the Western Australia’s goldfields. Dr Petersen joined Orinoco Gold in 2011 as technical director, and was president of Brazil operations from March 2015 to April 2018. He became an in-country manager and executive director of Viridis Mining and Minerals’ newly-formed Brazilian subsidiary in August 2023.
