Dear Women in Mining,
Happy New Year!
As we toasted WIM (UK) at the Annual Reception in December 2011, there was much to celebrate as the network has progressed spectacularly over the last year.
Since its launch in 2006 as an informal network, WIM (UK) has grown steadily, benefiting from the attention of countless individuals and firms.
In 2007 our first regular gatherings were organised with the support of Deloitte, and the newsletter and events calendar started circulating to members; 2008 saw the first speaker seminars, kicking off a long series of successful events; in 2009 we were present at Mines and Money London for the first time; and WIM (UK) entered a new phase of its development in 2010 and 2011, obtaining its first sponsorship funding from Anglo American, setting up a website and organising its first Annual Reception with the support of SRK Consulting in 2010 and the second in 2011 in collaboration with Intrepid Financial, Zamadini and Deloitte. During this time the team of dedicated directors and volunteers who organise its many activities grew significantly, and we also received the assistance of Mayer Brown and BDO who provide pro bono legal and accounting services to WIM (UK).
We are very grateful to all the firms who enthusiastically support this initiative and to the amazing women who have worked with us to make WIM (UK) into the professional organisation that women in mining deserve. Above all, we are thankful to all of you for making WIM (UK) such a great network.
Over the last few years it has been a privilege for us to meet so many of you and to build WIM (UK) together. We are delighted with the progress of the network, which now boasts over seven hundred members and has achieved wide-spread recognition across the mining industry, in the UK and abroad. We now feel that the time is right for us to hand over WIM (UK) to a new management team, whose talent and passion will take it forward to many new successes. We look forward to seeing the network continue to progress and the benefits it offers to its members continue to improve.
2012 will see a new team at the helm of WIM (UK), with an Board of five members and a strengthened executive of Committees under the leadership of a new Executive Chairman; a new Administrator will be joining the team to facilitate coordination and improve services to members; and a great calendar of events is being lined up. It’s going to be a great year for WIM (UK)!
We look forward to seeing you at a WIM (UK) event soon and wish you all the best in 2012!
Barbara Dischinger & Ludivine Wouters
Upcoming WIM (UK) Events
We are looking forward to a great year of WIM (UK) Events in 2012, with three new series focusing on Professional Development, Opinion Leaders and Industry Insight. Events will include drinks and seminars, and broach a wide variety of topics reflecting interests, issues and opportunities relevant to WIM (UK) members. Click here to find out more.
We will update you via the Newsletters and emails, so if you have not already done so please register on this website to be added to our mailing lists!
24 January – Opinion Leader
Deloitte — Tracking the trends 2012
To start the New Year, on 24 January we will be discussing the latest edition of Deloitte’s annual Tracking the trends report with Debbie Thomas, Head of Deloitte’s Metals and Mining Group in the UK.
Click here to find out more. Please RSVP using the link in the Newsletter and invitation emailed to WIM (UK) members before 20 January 2012.
22 February – Professional Development
Dress for success
Our networking drinks on 22 February 2012 will be an opportunity for WIM (UK) members to learn from a stylist how to achieve a positive professional presence and project an image of success, while enjoying some retail therapy and a great discount from L.K. Bennett.
Click here to find out more. WIM members will receive an email invitation in February.
At this event, we will also kick off a collaboration with the UK charity Dress for Success, which helps women on low incomes get back to work: we will be collecting relevant clothing items which may be donated by WIM (UK) members at our events.
WIM (UK) News
Welcome to our new WIM (UK) Administrator — Emma Johnson
From January 2012 Emma will take over the role of Administrator.
Emma has worked for major PR firms including Biss Lancaster, Clarion and Brave PR in her 15 year + PR career. To be able to combine raising a family with work she has worked part time in London and from home in several industries including PR, recruitment and membership organisations.
We are delighted to welcome Emma to WIM (UK) and look forward to a fruitful collaboration!
Emma can be contacted by email at info@womeninmining.org.uk or by phone on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on +44 (0) 77 0362 1940.
Meet the Board
It is with great pleasure that we can now introduce you to the members of new WIM (UK) Board. They will lend their insight and guidance as to how WIM (UK) moves operates and evolves, and will become ambassadors in order to continue to raise the profile of WIM (UK) and represent it across the industry.
Catherine Raw — a member of Blackrock’s Natural Resources Equity team, Catherine is responsible for covering the gold and mining sectors;
Carole Cable — a Partner of international corporate communications firm Brunswick, Carole has a strong background in mining and financial services in Canada, Australia and the UK;
Judith Mosely — with over 20 years’ experience in the mining sector, Judith is director for Business Development for Mining and Metals at Rand Merchant Bank in London;
Carmel Daniele — founder of CD Capital and CIO of the CD Private Equity Natural Resources Fund, Carmel has over 20 years of experience in investment management, legal, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and deal valuation, and has been a director of WIM (UK) since 2011; and
Sabine Anderson — having recently set up Severin Mining and Development, a company focused on acquiring and developing mineral projects in sub-Saharan Africa, Sabine previously held the position of Principal Consultant with SRK Consulting and has been a director of WIM (UK) since 2011.
The executive team
We are currently completing the team who will organise all the activities of WIM (UK) and will update you in the next newsletter. If you can participate in one of the committees, which focus on Events, Communications, Membership and Fundraising, please get in touch by emailing us at directors@womeninmining.org.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!
In case you missed it, we report on…
Control Risks Seminar
West Africa Mining – Navigating a diverse risk landscape
Members of WIM (UK) gathered at Mayer Brown on the morning of 28 September 2011 with a team of experts from Control Risks, an independent specialist risk consultancy, to examine the risks facing mining companies with operations in or looking specifically to expand to West Africa. This is very much one of the key regions of the moment with many companies recognising the high level of opportunity and, in some cases, relatively benign investment and operational environments.
Speakers Hannah Koep, Control Risks’ Head of Africa Analysis and Nick Smart, Senior Security Consultant for Africa, focused their presentation on a realistic depiction of the risk environment in which mining operations are situated and how the actions of the managers and stakeholders of such operations can have a direct impact on the risks they face. Read more…
The Wonders of Networking
On 12 October 2011, Sarah Collier, clinical hypnotherapist and Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner, addressed WIM (UK) members during our informal networking drinks. She discussed the importance of networking as a careers skill and how to network more effectively. Read more…
Third Annual Educational Seminar
In Vogue Mining: What’s hot this season in the world of mining
WIM (UK)’s annual Education Event on 9 November 2011 attracted record numbers of mining and engineering students and graduates planning or making their first career move.
We were delighted to see students from Imperial College, Oxford University, the University of Leicester, Cardiff University and Royal Holloway University of London, who met WIM (UK) members and participated in a lively discussion with our inspiring speakers.
Each of the speakers brought a different point of view to the discussion, which focused on how students and new graduates can best prepare themselves for their first career moves in the mining industry, and how to successfully manage growth, challenges and opportunities throughout a career. Read more…
WIM (UK) at Mines and Money London 2011
Second Annual Reception
We were delighted to be joined by so many WIM (UK) members and supporters for the second WIM (UK) Champagne Reception on 6 December 2011! With over 300 guests in attendance, the event was a great success. Catherine Raw, who joins the Board this month, and Sabine Anderson who has been a Director of WIM (UK) since May, said a few words about their own paths as women in the mining industry, and toasted WIM (UK) and its great progress in 2011. Click here for photos…
We were also present at Mines and Money London for the two days of the conference, which allowed us to catch up with many of you and inform many more people of the progress of our organisation.
During these two days we distributed copies of the special feature published by the International Resource Journal in October 2011 about the role of women in the mining industry and WIM (UK), which received a lot of praise. If you have not checked it out yet, click here to read it.
We would like to once again thank all the WIM (UK) members who volunteered on the stand during the two days of conference and to assist with the organisation and hosting of the Reception: we could not have done it without you! We would also like to thank the sponsors who made the WIM (UK) Reception possible.