Mount Isa Mines exceptional women recognised at prestigious resources awards

Tanya Cambetis, Development Execution Specialist and Sabrina Carpentier, Senior Long-Term Planning Systems Engineer were among the state’s top women in resources representing their business at the 2022 Queensland Resources Council (QRC)/Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WIMARQ) Resources Awards for Women.

The annual awards are celebrated on International Women’s Day at a breakfast hosted by the QRC and WIMARQ in Brisbane, to acknowledge high achieving women and to help increase diversity and inclusion within the sector.

Tanya, one of three finalists in her category, won the Exceptional Tradeswoman/Technician/Operator in Queensland Resources award which recognises achievement in breaking new ground for women in non-traditional roles as well as resilience, achievement of goals and support for diversity and inclusion.

Tanya was honoured to receive the award and said these awards are an important step in the right direction, providing the women in our industry with a little thank you for the work that they do to champion change.

Tanya’s journey has been truly inspirational. She is a mother of four and began her resources career as an underground truck driver in 2011.

She has since gained experience in all facets of underground operations, completing the Future Leaders Program in 2019, enabling her to gain work experience in all areas of the mining chain before being promoted to a staff role and embarking on a Graduate Diploma of Mining Engineering in January 2020.

Tanya said she feels privileged to study something that she loves while contributing to an industry that has given her so much.

“My passion for operations in mining continues to grow. I work hard, I challenge others to think about diversity and what impact they are having on the environment for others,” Tanya says.

“I will continue to be a role model to women in the industry, especially underground, to show that there is a pathway regardless of your age, gender or education level and that there are options to grow and build on the incredible skills we learn as operators.”

Tanya is also the President for WIMARQ North-West Queensland and a mentor for the local Glencore Girls for Mining Mentoring program. She was responsible for revitalising and building up the WIMARQ committee during the COVID-19 pandemic, and planning and promoting many community events over the years.

Sabrina Carpentier originates from a small village in Abitibi-Temiscamingue, a well-known mining region in Quebec, Canada. She arrived in Australia in early 2020 with her partner and two daughters. The international relocation process proved a little challenging, having to navigate cultural changes and language barriers while stepping into her first senior role in a large-scale mine technical department.

Sabrina, Highly Commended in the Exceptional Woman in Queensland Resources in Technological Innovation category, is a Mining Engineer with a Master’s degree in applied mathematics.

She is a true believer of Applied Mathematics and was convinced that Operation Research, a subfield of mathematic sciences, would one day make its way into the mining industry.

Sabrina developed a decision-making tool – Automated Development Schedule (ADS) – which automatically generates a nearly-optimal development schedule, saving time by generating solutions automatically while allowing flexibility to adapt to a sudden change of plan.

Sabrina said working on emerging approaches can be disappointing – some go forward, others are left behind – but when an idea you defend is taken and developed, there is nothing more rewarding.

“I hope my work inspires and encourages other women to see the benefits of a career in the resources industry, to believe in themselves and to put their ideas out there to be heard,” Sabrina says.

Regional Lead – Long Term Planning & Projects, Callum Fannin said Sabrina promotes and employs a data driven approach that makes many traditional engineers re-think their options and steers them to look at technology to make faster, smarter decisions.

“In addition to the ADS, Sabrina has used technology at the forefront of design optimisation being undertaken by the Mid-Term Planning team at George Fisher Mine.”

“This optimisation tool speeds up decision making and ensures that valuable time is reduced in assessing scenarios to find the optimal design configuration,  driving increased profit and sustainability within the operation,” Callum says.

Manager George Fisher Mine, Rebecca Roper said it’s important that we put our people forward for industry awards as they are a wonderful way to recognise and celebrate the achievements of our employees.

“The Resources Awards for Women help build support for diversity and provide self-assurance to the driven and talented women making decisions and achieving success across our industry,” Rebecca says.

“When I started at my first vacation role in coal mining, I was faced with being the only woman underground and we had no female change houses back then. It’s pleasing to see the growing number of women within our business and the progress toward inclusion within the workplace.”

Congratulations to both Tanya and Sabrina – our business is far richer for the contributions that they and all of our female employees make every day.