Richard Warke is a Vancouver-based Canadian business executive with over 40 years of experience in the international resource sector. In 2005, he founded the Augusta Group of Companies, recognized for an exceptional track record of value creation in the mining sector.
From 2006 to 2018, Augusta Group founded, managed, and funded three world-class mineral discoveries: Ventana Gold, which discovered the La Bodega deposit in Colombia (over 10 Moz gold; sold for $1.3B in 2011); Augusta Resource, which advanced the Rosemont copper project in Arizona into one of the largest U.S. copper deposits (sold for $667M in 2014); and Arizona Mining, which discovered and grew the Hermosa–Taylor deposit into one of the world’s top five primary zinc deposits and the largest in the U.S. (sold for $2.1B in 2018).
In 2017, Mr. Warke co-founded Equinox Gold, now a major mid-tier gold producer with operations in Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the U.S., growing to a market cap exceeding $13B. In 2019, Solaris Resources joined the Augusta Group, where under his leadership the Warintza Project in Ecuador was revitalized and its resource increasing more than 45-fold to 5.8 Bt, with the company now trading at a market capitalization of $1.7B. Solaris relocated to Switzerland in 2024 and is no longer an Augusta Group company, though Mr. Warke remains Chairman.
In 2020, Augusta Group and Barrick Gold became cornerstone shareholders of Augusta Gold Corp. (formerly known as Bullfrog Gold Corp.), strengthening its leadership, advancing the Bullfrog Project, and acquiring the fully permitted Reward Project. The company was acquired by AngloGold Ashanti in 2025 for $200M.
Presently, the Augusta Group comprises of private businesses and public companies, including Titan Mining Corporation, a zinc concentrate producer and emerging natural flake graphite supplier in New York, and Highlander Silver Corp., which is advancing the high-grade San Luis gold-silver project in Peru.
Throughout his career, Mr. Warke has built a reputation for generating value through pioneering transactions, early-stage investing, award-winning exploration, and rapidly advancing projects with consistent access to low-cost capital. His expertise and global industry relationships have made him a recognized strategic partner and sought-after industry expert on mining, business, and resource development. He is a Member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Leadership Council, supporting one of the world’s leading cancer institutions and advancing world-class research, patient care, and medical innovation.