Two Queensland women have taken out top honours in the Women in Resources National Awards presented by the Minerals Council of Australia today.
Kathryn Young, Geotechnical Engineer at BHP’s Peak Downs Mine in Moranbah took the Newcrest Exceptional Young Woman in Australian Resources Award for her impressive technical leadership, mentoring and strong advocacy on gender diversity.
“Attracting women to pursue careers in the resources sector should begin at school and university,” said Kathryn.
“To do this I’m actively involved in Space Design Competitions Australia – to mentor and encourage female school students to pursue careers in science technology engineering and maths (STEM) fields,” she said.
Kathryn also participates in a wide range of industry events at local universities as a BHP representative and supervises interns (of which 50 percent have been female) during their summer vacation period.
“I truly believe that I’m very lucky to work in the industry that I do, and no day is the same and there are always things that can be continually improved and new challenges that we can overcome. So, it’s a really exciting time to work in the industry and I can’t wait to see what the future in mining holds for me.”
Meanwhile, Larnie Mackay, Digital Transformation: Underground Project Lead for Anglo American in Moranbah took the inaugural Maptek Women in Resources Technological Innovation Award.
The judges selected Larnie for her innovation and perseverance in leading the development of the first, and so far, only, electronic tablet device certified for unrestricted use in underground coal mining in Australia.
