Mentoring Women in Mining for a Stronger Future

Since its launch in 2018, the IWRMP has been dedicated to fostering avenues that encourage and empower women to advance in their careers, overcome professional obstacles, and cultivate the confidence needed to excel and lead in the industry. This groundbreaking program takes a cross-cultural approach to diversity and inclusion, forging partnerships between mentees and senior industry leaders committed to promoting women’s advancement in the mining sector.  

The Foundation and senior Lundin executives were contributing as mentors providing mentorship to women across various professional disciplines and countries over the next six months. These relationships offer a wide range of expertise that will support mentees in setting career goals and creating plans for achieving them.     

Mentees benefit greatly from the guidance and insight of the inspirational women and men mentoring them, who in turn expand their understanding of younger professionals’ perspectives and challenges. 

Supporting women’s professional development and diversity and inclusion in mining is not just about individual careers but about transforming the industry culture as a whole. It sends a powerful message that equality, diversity, and inclusion are fundamental values that drive success. By providing mentorship, networking, and skills development opportunities, the industry can create an environment that attracts and retains talented women, paving the way for future generations.  

Lundin companies are prioritizing diversity and inclusion in the following ways: 

LUNDIN MINING & JOSEMARIA PROJECT 

Lundin Mining puts people at the heart of their business, striving to nurture a safe, inclusive, and equitable work environment. Recognizing regional and cultural differences throughout all of Lundin Mining’s operations, the Josemaria Project has tailored localized Diversity and Inclusion activities that are meaningful to their workforce and the community and relevant to the operation at that location.     

Specific highlights include:     

Josemaría’s women’s gatherings: This initiative was born in 2021 to bring Josemaría female staff together yearly in a space for sharing, reflection and dialogue. The women at Josemaría share their personal experiences at work and work together about possibilities to approach wage gaps, foster equal representation in management positions, and meet women’s needs at site (garments tailored for women’s sizes, women’s toilets on the field, work-life balance, etc.). These gatherings are facilitated by consultants who help promote rich conversations exploring the best solutions and/or opportunities, envisioning innovative ideas and strategies to promote gender equality in the company.  

Women in Mining sponsored by Josemaria workshop: Within the ARMINERA program in Buenos Aires, in May 2023, Josemaria supported a featured dissertation presentation by Cynthia Rubinstein, an entrepreneur recognized in the Design Thinking methodology for cultural change processes in Argentina. An audience of more than 80 attendees explored the impacts of mining, with many ideas focused on women’s attributes, and reflected on new ways to engage talents in the sector. 

Talk on Wetlands to women journalists: On October 20, 2022, the Josemaría Environment team, led by Yanina Ripoll, Environment Superintendent, and Silvina Adarvez, Biologist, gave a talk that addressed the fundamental aspects of the wetlands law project. The discussion was aimed at women journalists from 9 provincial media outlets.

 

LUNDIN GOLD 

Lundin Golds’ participation in the mentorship program corresponds with commitments set out in their 2021-2025 Sustainability Strategy to promote the inclusion and development of women in the workforce. Lundin Gold has become a benchmark in the mining industry in Ecuador through important initiatives such as:  

1. First mining company signatory to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)   
2. Obtained certification in the Target Gender Equality program led by UN Women and the UN Global Compact Ecuador   
3. First mining company to achieve the certification as a Great Place to Work (GPTW) in Ecuador and one of the Best GPTW companies in the country in 2022.   
4. Active participation in the International Women in the Resources Industry Mentoring Program (IWRMP) led by International Women in Mining.   
5. SOY EMPRENDEDORA program, which provides training for developing women-led business plans, received the UN Global Compact Ecuador Award for SDG-5 in 2023.  

In 2021, the Company completed the Inclusion of People with Disabilities Project, and with it, more than 53 disabled citizens, including 21% women, became employees of Lundin Gold. The Ministry of Social and Economic Inclusion of Ecuador recognized the Company’s efforts to carry out this type of project and to provide a workplace and work environment suited to their needs where they can feel comfortable and be successful.   

 In 2023 Lundin Gold is pleased to have the participation of 9 mentees and seven mentors, double the number of participants last year.

 

LUCARA 

Of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) adopted by the United Nations, Lucara Botswana has adopted 10, including SDG-5, gender equality. The company’s recruitment policy provides equal opportunity in recruiting its staff, and by December 2022, there were 145 women in the company’s employ. The company also implemented an awareness and training program to promote gender equality knowledge and skills in the company’s leadership. This approach helps to ensure a progressive gender diversity narrative demonstrated by increased female representation for Lucara Botswana’s executive leadership.  

Lucara Botswana has also recognized the rapid increase in the number of Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases in Botswana and embarked on several initiatives to promote education and awareness.   

1. Lucara Botswana continued its partnership with the Boteti District, Gender Affairs and Village Development Committees (VDCs) in the fight against GBV.   
2. They supported the formation of Gender committees throughout the district, working hand in hand with the child protection committees to address the issue of GBV. The main priorities of these initiatives are to reduce the risk of GBV in the community to ensure all survivors of GBV have adequate and timely access to quality services that meet their needs.   
3. GBV training has been done for all the committee members in the 19 villages in Boteti District in collaboration with the stakeholders mentioned above.
    

FILO CORP.

Filo Mining’s approach is for all employees and contractors to be part of a positive work environment that values diversity and enables the workforce to thrive. In 2022, Filo Mining began to identify KPIs regarding gender participation across all employee levels. Filo Mining’s target was to increase women’s board participation to 30% by 2025; this target was exceeded with 33% female representation on its Board in 2023.

 
June 15th marks the International Day of Women in Mining (IWiM), and the Lundin Foundation and our partners invite the global mining industry to celebrate female talent and continue to work towards gender equality in the sector.