The Western Australian mining and resources sector celebrated the power and value of gender diversity through the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia’s (CME) Women In Resources Awards.
CME’s 14th annual Women In Resources Awards (WIRA) saw a crowd of more than 1,000 people gather at the Perth Exhibition and Convention Centre on 31 March 2023.
The 2023 WIRA winners are:
- Outstanding Company Initiative Award – Rio Tinto
- Women in Resources Technological Innovation Award – Samantha Langley, BHP
- Outstanding Operator / Technician / Trade Award – Melinda Clarke, Woodside Energy
- Outstanding Young Woman in Resources – Kelsie Clarke, Woodside Energy
- Outstanding Woman in Resources – Chantel Westley, Rio Tinto
- Women in Resources Champion Award – Michael Erickson, AngloGold Ashanti
- Peoples’ Choice Award – Sandy Sibenaler, South32
CME CEO, Rebecca Tomkinson, said the broad cross-section of the Western Australia mining and resources community represented by the winners highlighted a sector-wide commitment to diversity and inclusion.
“WIRA is very much our sector’s night of nights and our winners this year are a truly inspirational group,” Ms Tomkinson said.
“Their stories, achievements and leadership qualities show what is possible in Western Australian mining and resources, and also the great benefit that gender diversity brings to our sector.
“As an industry, we are making progress towards the gender parity we aspire to, however, as CME’s latest Diversity and Inclusion Report shows, there is still much work to be done.
“By celebrating not only the winners but all finalists, I hope we can highlight the jobs, career pathways and opportunities available to women in the sector, along with work being undertaken to ensure safe and inclusive workplaces for all of our 157,000-plus employees.”
Featured image: 2023 Women in Resources Awards winners. Image: CME.
