• 26-28 August 2025 Cloudland | Brisbane
  • 26-28 August 2025 Cloudland | Brisbane
  • 26-28 August 2025 Cloudland | Brisbane
  • 26-28 August 2025 Cloudland | Brisbane
  • 26-28 August 2025 Cloudland | Brisbane
  • 26-28 August 2025 Cloudland | Brisbane
  • 26-28 August 2025 Cloudland | Brisbane
  • 26-28 August 2025 Cloudland | Brisbane
  • 26-28 August 2025 Cloudland | Brisbane
  • 26-28 August 2025 Cloudland | Brisbane
  • 26-28 August 2025 Cloudland | Brisbane
  • 26-28 August 2025 Cloudland | Brisbane
  • 26-28 August 2025 Cloudland | Brisbane
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Article: Success on your own terms: Career insights for women in mining

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What does success look like for mid-career women in mining? Is it a linear path to the top, should you pursue a promotion, or is a lateral move more beneficial for skill expansion? After a decade of progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion, what challenges remain? And what are the essential leadership traits that will be needed as the sector evolves?

Ahead of the 3rd Annual Women in Mining Summit, Quest Events interviewed Katie Wyatt, Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at BHP, Johanna Kennerley, Head of Sustainability and Environment at Ravenswood Gold, and Caoilin Chestnutt, Head of Corporate – Technical Services at Thiess, to gain their insights into these issues and more.

What advice would you give to mid-career women in mining who are contemplating their next career move?

Not all career paths are linear

Although she has only worked in the sector for one year, Wyatt has observed plenty of opportunities in mining and believes mid-career women are in a great place to make a move. “The key is knowing what you’re looking for: a lateral move to expand your skills and experiences, or a progression move (a promotion)”, she says. “Personally, I’m a terrible career planner. I have just followed my curiosity, which has taken me in upwards, downwards, lateral and other types of moves, across multiple sectors and organisation types. But now, twenty-plus years in, I can look back and see the strengths and uniqueness this has given me. So, if you’re not a planner, have faith that it will all make sense in the end!”

Define your own success

“Be honest with yourself about what you want to achieve in the short, medium and long term”, urges Kennerley. “It’s okay to have huge career goals for the medium and long term, but not for the short term, or vice-versa, regardless of whether you have a family, are thinking of having a family or are not having a family. There is such pressure to constantly drive up the corporate ladder, but a career is very long, and it does not need to be a straight line to the top. And the ‘top’ isn’t the only path to happiness and success: you define what that is, and you can change what success means for you as your life evolves”, she adds.  

Listen to your instincts

Chestnutt recommends a more ordered approach to career planning. “Consider carefully what you actually want, where you want to end up ultimately and what you need to get there, what are your strengths, and where are the gaps to close”, she says. “Reflect on what energises you, what drains you and the kind of environment you need to thrive. Find a good mentor to bounce ideas around with. Be measured – don't jump into the first thing that comes along. Do your research, listen to your instincts. Don't worry too much about the title; focus instead on the opportunity. Be open to lateral roles that broaden your perspectives and expertise. Find a company that has similar values to your own. There’s nothing more draining than working in an environment where core values are misaligned.” 

Can you share a specific moment in your career when you challenged the status quo or approached a problem differently?

Leveraging data

“Working in Organisation Development and DEI, you have to do this every day”, says Wyatt. “I’m a big believer in using data and insights to challenge the status quo. When you’re trying to attract more diversity to a sector – whether it’s technology, or mining, or another male-dominated field – you will often be told it’s not possible; that there aren’t enough qualified diverse candidates out there. In a situation in my previous role, I was able to show (through data) that although gender splits in applications were 50/50, promotions were heavily weighted in one direction.”

Supplier relationships

Across her previous roles, Chestnutt worked on a number of deals where Tier 1 mining companies would only do a deal with Junior mining companies where there was a pathway to control, which was often punitive to the Junior company and its shareholders. “I worked to change that mindset and shift the focus to generating win-win and sharing the upside so that value exists for both parties. This was not only a more attractive negotiation strategy, but it positioned the Tier 1 as a partner of choice for future deals”, she explains.

Better conversations

Kennerley recalls working with a staff member on her return from her second maternity leave period, after learning from the mistakes they had both made the first time around. “The discovery we both made was that all individuals are different in what makes them comfortable with returning to work and balancing home life (particularly when returning in a part-time capacity). This changes as children grow and family dynamics develop. Now, we’re both more open to discussions about how to manage workflow and communications, and we reassess regularly to ask if it’s still working for everyone and what we can do to improve.”

What gaps still exist in DEI efforts within the sector?

Parental leave for men

Kennerley points to the benefits of equal access to parental leave for men, and how it significantly benefits women by promoting gender equality, reducing the burden of childcare and improving women’s career prospects. Some of the industry’s key players have upped their game in this area, with Rio and BHP offering 18 weeks of paid leave for both carers. “However, access is only one issue”, Kennerley notes, “The underlying issue is the cultural change required for men to take the parental leave offered. At Ravenswood Gold, for example, the parental leave policy is gender neutral – and we’re proud to be building a culture where both men and women taking that time is normalised and genuinely supported.”

Diversity at the top

“While we’re slowly improving diversity across our industry, women in mining know that there is still underrepresentation at the leadership, executive and board level”, notes Chestnutt. “Until you can demonstrate that you value diversity equally, the pipeline of upcoming diverse talent will bleed from the organisation. Quotas and targets are helping, but too often, women are still pooled in certain areas like HR, admin and safety, rather than spread across the business. This means they don't always have equal access to key strategic decision-makers, which hinders their progression to the executive level. Meanwhile, pay gaps remain and need to be closed.”

Chestnutt also points to a lack of consistency with DEI initiatives. “DEI programs are often abandoned when commodity downturns occur and they lose momentum. Ironically, we should be doing the opposite. When times are tough, you need diversity of thought more than ever to lift company performance.”

First Nations leadership

Wyatt has a more positive view on increasing diversity in mining. “An increasingly diverse sector gives us larger talent pools to recruit from, and working with diverse teams is safer, more productive and more fun. But the work of DEI never stops. We need to create a workplace where everyone can feel valued, respected and able to perform at their best. That means continually uplifting the capability of our leaders to lead diverse teams and adapt their style to be inclusive and high performing. Personally, I think we need to see more focus on First Nations representation in leadership teams. Mining exists because of the resources of a country that has been cared for by our First Nations people. They are a critical part of the success, the management, the care, the sustainability of the sector, and our beautiful country.”

Looking ahead, what leadership traits do you believe will be essential for the next generation of leaders in mining?

“If I had to choose two leadership traits”, says Kennerley, “it would be empathy and determination.  These traits are not mutually exclusive, but often appear in different leadership styles.”

Empathy also tops Chestnutt’s list of leadership attributes: “The next generation has very different expectations than previous generations; prioritisation of wellbeing, flexible working arrangements and accelerated development opportunities. Emerging leaders will need empathy to accommodate to maintain engagement with their teams.”

Chestnuttt also stresses the importance of tech savviness, a willingness to leverage technology and lean into digital transformation, a sustainability mindset and ESG-conscious decision-making.

For Wyatt, the most important leadership trait is the ability to solve adaptive problems. “By this, I mean thinking beyond technical or task-based problems. We are living in an era with new problems that have never been solved before. If you’re a leader, you will need all of your team performing at their best level, feeling safe to contribute, ideate and innovate. So, leaders in mining need to have the right contemporary mindset, be emotionally aware, know how to adapt their style to get the best from people, and create environments where people feel safe and motivated to do their best.”


Interested in learning more?

Join Katie Wyatt, Caoilin Chestnutt, Johanna Kennerley and other thought leaders at the 3rd Annual Women in Mining Summit 2025, 26-28th August at Cloudland, Brisbane.

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