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Luis Azevedo

Chairman & CEO | Bravo Mining Corp. | Brazilian Resource Sector Specialist

"Deep expertise in Brazilian mining: founded Avanco Resources (A$418M exit), now advancing Bravo's Luanga PGM-nickel project in Carajás"

Mining Executive

Biography

Luis Azevedo is a mining executive and the founder, Chairman, and CEO of Bravo Mining Corp., a company advancing the Luanga platinum group metals (PGMs) and nickel project in Brazil's Carajás mineral province. What sets him apart in the resource sector is his dual qualification as both a geologist and a lawyer — a combination that gives him practical and regulatory fluency in Brazil's mining sector, where permitting and code compliance can make or break a project timeline.

Azevedo's most notable track record item is Avanco Resources, which he founded and led as Executive Director. Avanco developed copper-gold projects in Brazil before being acquired by OZ Minerals for A$418 million in 2018. That transaction gave OZ Minerals (later acquired by BHP) a foothold in the Carajás province — the same mineral belt where Bravo's Luanga project now sits. He has spent over 35 years working in Brazilian mining, giving him deep operational and institutional knowledge of one of the world's most important mineral jurisdictions.

At Bravo, Azevedo is advancing Luanga as a combined PGM, nickel, and copper asset. Drilling has intercepted grades like 3.56 g/t palladium over 11.04 metres, and the project has shown higher grades and thicknesses at depth than in shallower holes — a pattern that speaks to resource expansion potential. Azevedo has also highlighted the discovery of high-grade nickel-copper-PGM mineralization not previously observed at Luanga, suggesting the project may host multiple styles of mineralization. For investors, this matters because multi-commodity deposits in Tier 1 jurisdictions (areas with established infrastructure, stable governance, and major existing operations) offer diversification within a single asset and improve the economics of mine planning.

Azevedo's approach to project development is rooted in his legal knowledge of the Brazilian Mining Code, which governs exploration licenses, environmental permitting, and mineral rights. His understanding of the regulatory framework allows Bravo to navigate the Brazilian system more efficiently than competitors who lack that institutional experience. Investors following Bravo should watch for resource estimate updates, metallurgical test work results, and progress toward a preliminary economic assessment — milestones that will define the project's NPV (Net Present Value — what a project's future cash flows are worth today).

Videos (1)

Luis Azevedo, Chairman & CEO of Bravo Mining Corp. | Rule Symposium 2026: Rick Rule interviews

Luis Azevedo, Chairman & CEO of Bravo Mining Corp. | Rule Symposium 2026: Rick Rule interviews

guest May 27, 2026
  • Top takeaway He argues smelting on site under the ZPE free zone is what transforms the economics: $1.8 billion NPV on $608 million of capex versus $1.25 billion on $495 million if selling concentrate, with costs a fraction of the basket price.
  • He presents Luanga as the largest undeveloped open-pit PGM deposit outside Russia and South Africa, grown from a 120-million-ton acquisition at about 1.2 g/t bought from Vale in 2020 to 15.4 million palladium-equivalent ounces after roughly 80,000 meters of drilling.
  • He stresses the free-zone smelter plan also yields a fertilizer by-product worth about $500 per ton in a country he says is hungry for agribusiness inputs.
  • He sees a second growth leg in IOCG exploration at Luanga, citing 17 drilled anomalies and a former Vale discovery geologist hired in November 2025 to advance the concept.
  • He emphasizes alignment through his roughly 40% personal stake as largest shareholder, and commits to delivering the PFS in Q3 2026.

Bravo Mining's Luanga is the largest undeveloped open-pit PGM (platinum-group metals) deposit outside Russia and South Africa, with a prefeasibility study due Q3. Brazil's ZPE free-trade zone (no tax on capex or opex) lets Luanga smelt on site, lifting net present value to $1.8 billion. Integrated-case capex of $608 million is one-third of NPV, passing the value-must-double-capex screen even at much lower PGM prices. Seventeen drilled anomalies hint at iron oxide copper gold mineralization, a second exploration story alongside Luanga's platinum-palladium horizon. Carajas defies its jungle reputation: hydro power, rail, ports, paved roads and experienced mining labor already serve a mature province.

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Key Quotes

"High-grade nickel-copper mineralization had not been previously observed at Luanga. This discovery suggests potential for other metals and styles of mineralization than previously intercepted at Luanga, and we are extremely encouraged that it also contains high grade PGMs."

— Bravo Mining drill results announcement, August 2022

"The drill results reported herein consistently show grades and thicknesses that, for the most part, exceed those from shallower drilling."

— Canadian Mining Journal coverage of Luanga drill results

Key Works

Advancing the Luanga project in the Carajás mineral province, Pará state, Brazil, with ongoing drilling and resource definition

Founded and led Avanco Resources, which developed copper-gold projects in Brazil before its acquisition by OZ Minerals in 2018

Specializations

CopperNickelPlatinum Group MetalsBrazilian Mining CodeCarajás Mineral ProvinceJunior Mining

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