26 Dic María Luisa Lozano, Founder and CEO Asgreen and member of the Board of Minnovex

This chemical civil engineer and CEO of Asgreen, a company that seeks to incorporate sustainability and energy efficiency in the main industries of Chile, she likes to be an entrepreneur, take on new challenges and take risks. Among the goals for her year we find she wishes to embark on a new innovation project in conjunction with some mining company and also assume a strong leadership in the cause of incorporating women into traditionally masculine areas.

Who are you?

I am the oldest of three brothers, the daughter of a teacher and a farmer. I am married and have two beautiful children. I was born and raised in Curicó, Maule Region, surrounded by fields and vineyards, I left that land to go and study Chemical Civil Engineering at the Federico Santa María University in Valparaíso, and I returned about five years ago, looking for a better quality of life for my family.

After getting my diploma, in 2005, I went to work as a project engineer in an international engineering company, where I had the opportunity to work abroad. There I participated in projects from different sectors, the most important were those developed in energy and mining. After that I became independent and founded, with a partner in 2011, Asgreen Sustainable Engineering, where we work to incorporate sustainability and energy efficiency in the main industries of Chile. This work has led me to obtain the CEM (Certified Energy Manager) international certification granted by the AIEE. I also have a master’s degree in innovation at the Adolfo Ibáñez University, since we wanted to give Asgreen a spin and since 2018 we have opened an area of ​​innovation in sustainable processes, where we are developing technology that allows us to produce responsibly with the environment, decreasing the impact and moving towards the circular economy.

What do you do in your free time?

With two young children there is very little personal free time. Still sacredly I do a little workout and read every day, and now I am embarking on the great gardening project of my new house.

Book you hold on your nightstand?

I have two books that I reread every year: the classic «Pride and Prejudice» by Jane Austen and «Originals» by Adam Grant and now I’m starting «Dare to lead» by Brene Brown

What is your main strength?

Constancy and perseverance are the two things that keep me doing what I do, no matter what.

What are your goals for this year?

Professionally speaking I would like to start a project of associative innovation, with another company and with some large mining company, something new, risky, radical. In a more personal area, I have always stood by the cause of incorporating women into traditionally masculine areas, I have always been in this environment being almost the only woman in the room, at the table, in the conversation panel and my goal is to participate more actively in this cause, so I would like to continue being part of the Minnovex Board of Directors, from where I believe I can make a concrete contribution.

What is your biggest aspiration for Chile as a mining country?

I have two aspirations: the first one, that the area of ​​technology and knowledge services in mining is developed and consolidated. I think it is an area where large mining companies are falling short, because there is human capital, there is ingenuity and there is a desire on our part as suppliers, but I feel that there is still a lack of space to develop and test. They are opening, little by little, but there is still a long way to go.

And second: that we achieve green mining, that we are carbon neutral, that Chilean mining be a worldwide reference on how to carry out this activity in a sustainable way.