Making a difference to coal mining communities

At Glencore, we take our social commitments seriously – from striving to have a positive impact in the communities in which we operate to working with First Nations peoples to create inclusive, respectful partnerships.

It’s an area that’s constantly evolving and can be challenging to navigate.

This is where people like Cath Pattenden come in.

As Glencore Coal’s Group Manager for Communities and Human Rights, Cath helps the business implement its social performance and human rights obligations.

“My role covers all aspects of social performance and human rights, cultural heritage and security,” says Cath, who is based in Sydney.

“And these are very connected with other key areas of the business, including health, safety, environment and community, and our management of operational risks and opportunities.”

With a PhD in anthropology, Cath began her career in the mining sector in the late 1990s with Western Mining and spent time working at the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining at The University of Queensland.

She had worked for Glencore in Switzerland since 2020 before starting her current role in February this year.

Cath was instrumental in helping develop the technical standards that provide more clarity, visibility and accountability for social performance and human rights across the global Glencore group.

“What attracted me to mining was the complex mix of opportunity and impact that the industry has on communities, and the challenges that come with this,” she says.

“It’s a fantastic industry to work in, and the field of social performance and human rights is at the forefront of the current and future risk landscape facing our sector.”

Since starting her new role, Cath has visited Glencore’s coal assets in South Africa, Colombia and Canada.

“We need boots on the ground to understand a site’s operational challenges and work out how we can best support them,” she says.

“Often our teams work in relative isolation and they have to manage what the business is asking of them, so we aim to help them interpret and execute business requirements relative to their context and risks.”

After 30 years in the industry, Cath has learnt a great deal about mining and the challenges the industry faces.

“This is a cyclical industry, which has consequences for our relationships with communities and stakeholders,” she says.

“Market forces are outside of our control, but the implications can be very localised. When we make commitments, we have to be able to meet them and to maintain trust; that we do what we say we are going to do.”

These challenges bring fresh possibilities, such as a chance to collaborate with local communities and create value-add opportunities.

“Our industry has come a long way in understanding what it means to be responsible operators outside the fence,” Cath says.

“We need to continue improving by cementing change management as a collective and shared process. Communities are usually there before us and they’re there after we leave – it’s their future that we’re talking about.”