OBITUARY: Metals veteran Francisco Testor dies at 81

Francisco (Paco) Testor, founder and president of RP Metaltrading, died on August 6, 2018, after battling with cancer for a year.

Francisco (Paco) Testor, founder and president of RP Metaltrading.

Paco began his metals career at Rio Tinto Patiño in late 1968 after achieving a PhD in industrial engineering from Barcelona University in the same year.

At Rio Tinto Patiño, later known as Rio Tinto Minera, Paco held the role of commercial vice president responsible for copper concentrate purchasing for the Huelva smelter, as well as copper metal and sulfuric acid sales.

He moved to metals trading in 1990, becoming global head of concentrate trading at Pechiney World Trade (PWT) in Connecticut, the United States. He returned to Spain in 1993 and established Gesmetal SL in 1994, representing PWT in Spain, Portugal and Morocco for concentrate trading and metal brokerage.

Paco set up RP Metaltrading in 2006.

Paco is survived by his wife Isabel, and four adult children: Isabel, Francisco, Carlos and Marta, as well as numerous grandchildren.

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