Women in mining celebrated on global scale

International Women in Mining (IWiM) will be holding an inaugural celebration of women in the mining industries on June 15, with the intention of making it an annual event.

IWiM is an international platform for women in mining globally, and operates as a virtual organisation. It is managed by a Board of Directors and relies for its work on a team of volunteers and supporters.

IWiM director Barbara Dischinger said she hoped the International Day of Women in Mining would be embedded into the mining sector’s global calendar to celebrate past, present and future women in mining.

“We are inviting individual professionals, IWiM organisations, mining companies, academia, supply chain, technical and professional service consultancies, sector associations, governments, unions, and civil society to join us in celebrating women’s perseverance, contributions, talent and spirit in the mining sector,” she said.

“The campaign plans to raise awareness of the achievements reached so far as well as the work that lies ahead to reach gender equality in the mining sector, and also promotes actionable initiatives for the industry to collaborate and to reach a more inclusive sector.”

On June 15, the two-hour virtual event from 2-4pm British Summer Time will be under the theme #CelebrateWIM #CelebrateHer.

It will feature keynote presentations by guest speakers including BHP chief technical officer and International Day of Women in Mining 2022 campaign ambassador Laura Tyler; International Council for Mining and Metals CEO Rohitesh Dhawan; University of Queensland Sustainable Minerals Institute director Professor Deanna Kemp; and former De Beers CEO Sheila Khama.