Modern Mining August 2020

WOMEN IN MINING

Setting the trend for women in The mining industry faces a gender diversity challenge, largely stemming from the sociocultural barriers centred on common prejudice, perceptions and implicit stereotyped notions on gender roles in the sector. Despite the gendered organisational nature of mine work, which affects effective participation of women in mine jobs, three women at AECI Mining – Meagan van den Berg, Sarah Leshabane, Linda Kretschmer – are setting the trend with their vigour to challenge the status quo and succeed in a male-dominated environment, writes Munesu Shoko .

T here is no better time to cast the spotlight on women’s success stories in the mining indus- try than in August – the Women’s Month in South Africa. Gender equality has over the years gained prominence in various socio-political and corporate discourses worldwide. Pressure has and is still mounting from the populace over increas- ing levels of gender disparities in male dominated industries, and one that quickly comes to mind is the mining sector, where women remain a minority. Despite the focus on diversity and inclusion in the past two decades, women continue to be vastly under-represented at all levels in the mining sector. According to Bloomberg, the proportion of women employed by mining companies globally sat at around 15,7% in 2019, up only 1% in the previous five years – and the numbers are worse at management level. Just one in 20 global firms is headed by a woman. In South Africa, women represent only 13% of the mining labour force, according to the Minerals Council South Africa.

Positive attitude to change In an environment that’s constantly being dis- rupted, the mining industry needs leaders who foster a positive attitude to change. When change is the only constant, the key to success is transfor- mational leadership – a style that empowers and helps teams to build a sense of community and trust. One company that is putting emphasis on this leadership style to accelerate the strategic impera- tive to have more women in leadership positions is AECI Mining. A case in point is the recent appointment of Meagan van den Berg to the company’s executive committee. Although not the first female, she is the first female mining engineer to be appointed to the AECI Mining Group Executive Committee, and con- tinues to break boundaries in a male-dominated industry. In her new role, she is responsible for the company’s Southern African business portfolio, which includes South Africa and the neighbouring

Meagan van den Berg was the first female mining engineer and regional manager at AECI Mining.

countries – Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana and Mozambique. Her core function in this role is to develop and execute regional strategies in line with group’s goals to foster sustainability and growth within these specific markets. The role, explains van den Berg, provides the link between front-end teams and back office support func- tions to drive the greater AECI Mining goals, policies and strategic intent within these regions. “A critical function of the role is to unlock and grow value for our employees, shareholders and custom- ers by delivering quality products and services to the mining industry,” she says. A dedicated individual with the dis- cipline to become better at everything she does, van den Berg’s appointment coincides with South Africa’s celebration of women’s month. Although a mining engineer by formal qualification, a final year project sparked her interest in drill and blast and the pursuit of a career within the explosives industry.

34  MODERN MINING  August 2020