João Rocha: Bridging Field Teams and Boardrooms to Drive Responsible Exploration

João Rocha does not lead from a distance. As Vice President of Exploration at Algo Grande Copper Corp., he spends as much time in the field alongside his geologists as he does in boardrooms translating complex data for investors.

For Rocha, leadership is not about issuing commands from the top of the pyramid – it is about rolling up his sleeves, solving problems that block his team, and letting them shine.

His journey from a family with no connection to geology to a top executive role is a testament to hard work, mentorship, and an unshakable belief that the primary sector holds the keys to humanity’s future – including the fight against climate change.

Steady as a Rock, Rooted in Purpose

From early on, Rocha had a deep interest in finding out where the raw materials around us come from. “I’m a true believer that humanity should not be disconnected from the primary sector which gives us the building blocks of the society we live in,” he notes.

His fascination rests on geology’s long reach – long enough that we name our own history after it. The Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age: each era is defined by the material humanity had learned to find and work. The pattern never broke. Precious metals became the coinage that underpinned empires, and today it is copper, lithium, and the rest of the critical minerals that will decide whether the fight against climate change is won.

The life-changing event in Rocha’s career was meeting Enrico Gay, now CEO of Algo Grande Copper Corp. and his business partner. Together they shared a vision of creating a new junior exploration company, different from those currently in the market – a vision that led them to found Algo Grande Copper Corp. and to all the achievements along the way in the short period the company has been active. “This is a partnership and a friendship I want to keep for a very long time,” he says.

He sees the industry moving at a fast pace. Globally, there’s strong demand for the raw materials the energy transition requires, and the spread of 3D modeling and AI is making the geologist’s work far more precise and their decisions easier to support with facts.

Rocha also believes the industry is moving toward a greater global awareness that critical resources are more limited than they once assumed. This is especially true for Europe, where until about a decade ago, they operated in a world expecting resources to be unlimited. “That shift is not complete, but I believe the industry is heading firmly in that direction,” he observes.

“I believe humanity shouldn’t be disconnected from the primary sector: it gives us the building blocks of the society we live in.”

Leading by Example, Grounded in Teamwork

Rocha holds multiple responsibilities at Algo Grande Copper Corp., combining technical leadership in the field with the strategic responsibilities of his role as Vice President of Exploration. “One of the most important parts of my role is ensuring that what we learn in the field is properly interpreted, challenged and ultimately translated into clear exploration decisions and a coherent strategy for the company,” he says.

He likes to lead by example and to leave space for the teams to grow and outperform themselves. “I’m not a believer in micromanagement. I prefer to understand how I can help my team thrive, how I can solve the problems that block them, and then let them shine in their roles. I like to think of my team the way you’d think of a championship squad. I have an amazing team working with me, and I simply need to let them do their work, listen to them, and keep them happy,” he elaborates.

Rocha shares an experience that tested his resilience the most – a remote camp assignment in Norway that lasted three months. Many of those weeks were spent camping with a team of geologists he had met only a week before the work began. The conditions were sometimes severe, and what allowed them to deliver excellent work safely was the ability to work as a team, make fast decisions, and lean on the leadership of colleagues like Robert Selwyn. “He set the standard for the rest of us. Nothing rattled him, and that steadiness is contagious when the weather turns,” he emphasizes.

A Life Balanced Between Family and Purpose

Beyond career milestones and recognition, Rocha notes that, on a personal and human level, success means having a happy family and a happy home, and still being able to share a good laugh with his childhood friends. “My home is the place I want to return to after long travels, with the sense that my job is done,” he states.

Outside of his professional career, Rocha considers his marriage and his first-born son his greatest achievements. “They bring me the most pride and give meaning to my time away from work,” he shares. While his profession is extremely demanding, he notes that this is normal in his industry, and that someone coming into the mineral exploration business should expect long travel days, multiple time zones, and have the flexibility to be in different environments from one day to the next.

“I’ve often spent one day in a remote location with geologists and the next in Vancouver or London with investors. I find this fascinating. I would not be able to do any of this without the effort of my family, especially my wife, also a geologist, who takes on the responsibilities of day-to-day life – particularly with a two-year-old – while performing her own work as well. She’s an incredible person, and I’m deeply grateful for what she means to our family,” he acknowledges.

“I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without my family, especially my wife, who takes on so much at home while still building her own career as a geologist.”

A Path Built on Mentorship and Hard Work

Rocha notes that he has been lucky to work with several great geologists, in and out of Portugal, his home country. “I would point to John Morris Pereira as my first significant mentor, who in turn led me to my second, Daniel James, both pivotal for my professional and personal development. I’m extremely grateful for the trust they placed in me over our years of working together,” he reflects.

Now, in the position he holds, Rocha tries to bring geologists to work alongside him and pass on the experience and knowledge he has gathered along the way. “I try to give them room to make their own decisions, because I believe that’s also how people evolve and grow, through the process of deciding and learning from it,” he observes.

In terms of his contributions to future generations of professionals, Rocha notes that the work he does shows that you can advance in your career alongside your teammates, and that there are real opportunities in geology. He sees his own path as a source of motivation, having come from a family with no connection to geology at all.

“My father worked in a field with no connection to geology, and I had none of the built-in advantages that come from a geology background. What got me here was the effort I put in and the good fortune of crossing paths with people who helped me along the way. I hope that seeing someone from a background entirely unrelated to the field reach a position like Vice President of Exploration can be motivating for students starting today,” he says.

Rocha offers these sage words of advice to aspiring leaders just beginning their journey in the exploration and resources sector: Never stop believing, never stop exploring, and never give up. A disappointing result does not mean you did a bad job; it often simply means that “no” is not the final answer. Explore that result for what it can teach you, and keep going.

One Discovery, One Team, One Lasting Impact

While he has never given much thought to his legacy, Rocha hopes to be remembered as a likeable leader, one capable of working alongside his team rather than leading by force. “I would also like to be remembered as someone who made a reasonable number of exploration discoveries, and who helped build amazing teams and inspire the people in them.”

More than that, Rocha wants to be remembered as a leader who genuinely cares about the team, the project, and the geology itself. “You can have an excellent project, but without a good team it will not succeed, and the reverse is equally true – a good team without a good project does not work either. It comes down to balancing those three elements,” he observes.

Rocha hopes to be remembered as a fair leader, one who does not stay at the top of the pyramid giving instructions, but works hands-on alongside the team and does what’s needed for the project to succeed. “I would be happy if I could give the world even one finding that helps in the fight against climate change,” he concludes.

“You can have an excellent project, but without a good team it will not succeed – and a good team without a good project does not work either.”

Conclusion

For João Rocha, success is not measured by titles or discoveries alone. It’s found in the balance between a demanding career and a happy home, in the trust he places in his team, and in the hope that his work leaves the world a little better than he found it.

Whether mentoring young geologists from non-traditional backgrounds or pushing for exploration breakthroughs that could power the energy transition, he remains grounded in the values that brought him this far – curiosity, resilience, and gratitude. And if one discovery he helped unearth ever contributes to the fight against climate change, that alone would make the journey worthwhile.