Javier Targhetta
Javier Targhetta (Madrid, 1948) is a Mining Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (1971) and holds a diploma from IESE in Senior Management (University of Navarra, 1987). After completing his studies with internships in Germany and England, he began his professional career in the metallurgical field, joining the AIPSA project in Huelva, jointly sponsored by the Rio Tinto Explosives and Tharsis groups.
In late 1973, he joined the engineering consulting firm Sereland, where he remained for eight years, serving as Vice President of the Industrial Division. In 1981, he began what would become a nine-year period in the shipping sector, joining the company Ruiz de Velasco, where he became Managing Director in 1983. In 1985, he was appointed President of Empresa Nacional Elcano, SA, at that time Spain’s leading shipping company. Between 1988 and 1990, he simultaneously led the container shipping company Compañía Trasatlántica Española, also as President and CEO.
In 1990, he was appointed CEO of Atlantic Copper. In 1993, Freeport-McMoRan (USA) acquired 100% of the company, and Javier Targhetta was confirmed in his current position. Since July 2005, he has served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales, assuming responsibility for Freeport-McMoRan’s global copper concentrate sales. Since April 2025, Targhetta has held the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Atlantic Copper.
Among other responsibilities, Javier Targhetta is currently Vice President-Commissioner of PT Smelting (Indonesia), Vice President of Fortia, one of the largest electricity distributors in Spain, and an honorary professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Between 2004 and 2014, he was an associate professor at the same university.
Until June 2008, Javier Targhetta chaired the Spanish Association of Large Energy Consumers (AEGE), and from 2007 to November 2011, he was President of Eurometaux (European Association of Non-Ferrous Metal Producers). Between 2008 and 2010, he chaired the European Copper Institute (ECI).
Javier Targhetta has also served on the Boards of Directors of several companies, including Unión Asturiana Estibadora, The Britannia Steamship Protection & Indemnity Club Ltd, Fertiberia, Duro Felguera, Compañía General de Carbones, and Asturiana de Zinc (a Glencore subsidiary), among others. He was recently appointed President of Primigea, the Spanish Confederation of Mineral Raw Materials Industries.
