Six Glencore employees selected for Women in Mining 100 list

Axelle joined Mutanda Mining in 2010 and currently holds the position of Superintendent of Import Logistics within the supply chain department.

As part of this role, she oversees the operations of two logistics sites and was part of the team preparing the site for restart after care and maintenance.

Born the second of five daughters in Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Axelle obtained her degree in Information Technology from the University of Vaal, South Africa.

Bijou joined Mutanda Mining in 2014 as a Laboratory Supervisor. She is a co-founding member and in charge of project planning of an association that brings together chemists in the greater Katanga area which was created in 2019. She was one of the first women to work the night shift at the operations and has been an advocate for equal opportunities.

The third of six children, she received her primary and secondary education in her hometown of Kipushi, a mining city in Haut-Katanga. She graduated from the Faculty of Science at the University of Lubumbashi with degrees in Biology & Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry.

Fatima started her career at Glencore Ferroalloys in 2002 and today holds the position of Human Resources Manager at the Wonderkop Smelter. In 2008, she was the first historically disadvantaged South African (HDSA) female to be appointed into a senior management position within the alloys group. 

She successfully led the Western Limb Smelters’ wage negotiation team for two successive wage periods, reaching three-year wage agreements without any industrial action taken. Fatima is the Chairperson of the medical aid scheme, sits on the Board of the Employee Share Option Scheme as a Trustee and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Provident Fund.

Fatima initiated a campaign featuring women within the Ferroalloys business who have made great strides in their careers called #SheRocks, which won the 2020 Sabre Awards Africa in the Mining and Extractive Industries category.

Katrina is a experienced mining engineer with significant operational experience across several geographies, commodities and mining methods. Having worked at a number of top tier global mining companies, Katrina joined Glencore’s Global Zinc Operational Excellence team as Regional Lead for Australia and Canada in February 2022.

She sits on the Board of Directors for AusIMM, a Royal Chartered not-for-profit representing the highest standards of ethics and professionalism for 14,000 employees in the sector, holding the positions as Chair for the Audit & Risk Committee, Chair of the Council for Diversity & Inclusion and also sponsors the AusIMM mentoring programme.

Katrina is a qualified Chartered Professional (CP Mining), a Graduate of Australian Institute Company Directors and has achieved a New South Wales Certificate of Competence as Production Manager of an underground mine. 

Neo started her mining career at Anglo American Platinum where she received a bursary to complete her B-Tech Degree in Extraction Metallurgy at the University of Johannesburg before being appointed a graduate metallurgist in 2005. She has held the position of Group Metallurgical Manager for Glencore’s Chrome Mining Division since 2016.

In her role, Neo leads a team of metallurgists and is responsible for all processing and metallurgical activities in the Chrome and PGM beneficiation plants. She is also responsible for evaluating new and existing technologies within the context of continuing improvement in metallurgical performance as well as within the framework of health, safety, quality, and environmental policies.

As the Chairperson for Glencore Ferroalloys’ WIM programme, she supports WIM initiatives across ten operations. In addition, she manages external metallurgical projects with various South African and international research institutions and represents Glencore Ferroalloys in the Women in Mining Committee of the Minerals Counsel South Africa.

Sophy always had the drive to rise above her circumstances. Born in Mpumalanga and growing up with her grandparents, the family did not have the financial resources to support her education. She first joined Char Technology in 2007 as a temporary cleaner. Eager to work her way up, Sophy became a permanent member of the cleaning staff before starting to work on the weighbridge.

After successfully completing an ABET assessment with the company, she was appointed to a position as an Administration Assistant. Sophy went on to successfully completed a Certification in Office Administration while working her full-time job.

Sophy volunteers at an orphanage and organises food and clothing donations for the children.