Former FIFOMI Head Joins Vizsla Silver as Government Relations VP

Vizsla Silver’s appointment of Angel Diego Gómez Olmos as Vice President of Government Relations reflects a strategic pivot to secure permits for the Panuco project’s planned 2H26 construction start. This move aligns with a broader shift in federal policy; while the sector faces a 5.8% production decline, Minister Marcelo Ebrard has signaled a commitment to accelerating approvals to secure North American supply chains. Integrated with the Mexico-US Action Plan on Critical Minerals, the project’s success now hinges on "social resilience" and navigating a modernized regulatory framework that prioritizes regional economic security and jurisdictional stability.

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Canada-based junior company Vizsla Silver has appointed Angel Gómez as Vice President of Government Relations. The company considers Gómez’s experience as a mining-related government official, making him a key asset in securing the necessary permits for the development of its flagship Panuco project in Sinaloa. 
According to Vizsla Silver, Gómez is tasked with leading the company’s in-country government and regulatory affairs. His primary objective, based in Mexico City, involves advancing the permitting process for the Panuco silver-gold project and its surrounding claims located in Sinaloa as the site progresses toward production.

In this role, Gómez will manage the company’s engagement with federal regulatory agencies, including the Ministry of Economy (SE), the General Directorate of Mines, and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT). The establishment of this senior-level function is intended to facilitate the approvals and consultations necessary to maintain the project’s development schedule.

Vizsla Silver notes that Gómez is a lawyer licensed in both Mexico and Spain with over a decade of experience in mining law and public administration. He most recently served as General Director of FIFOMI. His previous government experience includes serving as Acting General Director of Mines and Director of Operations and Tracking of the Mining Sector at the Ministry of Economy. 

“Diego’s expertise, relationships, and background make him one of the most qualified people in Mexico for this role. He has spent years running the very agencies we are working with, and the relationships he has built across Mexico’s federal ministries, along with his deep, practical knowledge of how these processes work from the inside, are exactly what Vizsla Silver needs as we advance Panuco through the permitting stage toward production,” said Michael Konnert, CEO, Vizsla Silver, adding that, with Gómez leading the company’s government relations in Mexico, it is in the best position to remain on track to deliver the Panuco project.

“Today, developing projects in Mexico requires much more than simply complying with regulations formally. It also implies having technical soundness, social credibility, and, above all, a long-term institutional strategy that truly allows for the generation of trust and a degree of regulatory certainty before authorities such as SEMARNAT,” Santiago Suárez, Partner, Servicios Legales Mineros, told MBN, when questioned how mining companies can better engage with regulatory bodies. 

Panuco Project Timeline and Production Targets
The company is currently targeting the start of construction at Panuco for the second half of 2026. This timeline follows the completion of a positive Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) and a series of high-grade resource updates. Panuco is consolidated into a single 9,865ha land package, which includes over 86km of total vein strike.

According to recent technical reports, the project is designed to be a high-grade, underground silver-primary operation. By securing regulatory leadership, Vizsla Silver aims to de-risk the transition from exploration to development, ensuring that the necessary environmental and operational permits are in place for the planned 2H26 construction launch. The company continues to maintain an aggressive drilling program to expand the resource base further ahead of the final investment decision.

Securing Permits Still Key for Mining Companies 
The appointment comes amid a shift in Mexico's federal mining policy, which has moved toward more rigorous documentation and multidisciplinary evaluation. In an interview with MBN, Joel González, Senior Partner, ALN Abogados, said the current permitting landscape is no longer a checklist exercise. González notes that SEMARNAT is increasingly evaluating projects against updated water regulations and forestry standards, often applying new criteria to applications filed years prior.
 

González noted that while the government has enforced existing laws to cancel over 1,000 non-compliant concessions, there is an increased openness to dialogue for companies that document their efforts in these specific areas. For firms like Vizsla Silver, this environment requires social resilience, a holistic approach that integrates legal, environmental, and community strategies to maintain legitimacy over the entire project cycle. 

“Mining is like running a city, you are dealing with water permits, environmental approvals, labor issues, community agreements, agrarian authorities, and more. Social resilience requires a holistic, team-based approach. Projects that treat it as one department's responsibility will encounter problems, while those with an interdisciplinary approach will last,” he concluded.

Overall, the mining sector has acknowledged a more pragmatic implementation of reforms under the current federal administration. However, with production indicators showing a year-on-year decline of nearly 5.8% in 2025, regulatory clarity remains the most influential variable for the sector’s outlook, as noted by Pablo Méndez, Managing Partner, EC Rubio. Industry associations continue to advocate for a framework that balances environmental protection with technically grounded rules to ensure Mexico remains geologically competitive. 

Minister of Economy Marcelo Ebrard had previously confirmed the federal government's intention to accelerate mining permit approvals starting in 2026. Speaking at the XXXVI International Mining Convention 2025, Ebrard stated that the administration is committed to restarting large-scale exploration, streamlining pending procedures, and facilitating investment to secure supply chains amid a tense geopolitical climate. "Securing supply chains is a national priority," he noted, highlighting that three new permits for land use and environmental impact had already been approved as part of this initiative, without mentioning which projects received the approvals.

This policy shift aligns with the Mexico-US Action Plan on Critical Minerals, announced in February 2026, which establishes a framework to integrate Mexican mining into North American supply chains for electromobility and advanced manufacturing. CAMIMEX emphasizes that realizing this alignment requires addressing the permitting backlog and the establishment of clear environmental and operational permitting timelines alongside a modernized legal framework to ensure jurisdictional stability, as reported by MBN.