Interview with Eva Arias, interviewed by Andrea Lluch, Lima, Peru

In this interview, Eva Arias discusses her distinguished career as Executive President of Compañía Minera Poderosa, as well as the long history of her family in the Peruvian mining industry. She begins by reflecting on her formative influences--her parents, both of whom taught her the values of hard work, integrity, and compassion--and her early career in architecture. Along with two college friends, Arias opened a small architecture firm and construction company that operated very successful for several years, making dividends of over USD one million. It wasn't until an economic crisis hit in 1977 that Arias' career trajectory shifted. "The entire economy was shaken by this crisis," she explains, "so I decided to work for my family, lending a hand at a difficult time." Arias' background in engineering and architecture served her well when she joined her family's mining business. She was also quite familiar with the ins and outs of the industry, having grown up visiting camps and mines with her father. Indeed, her father's influence proved crucial to how Arias' managerial style in many senses. In the interview, Arias explains her father's commitment to mine workers: "He would never