Kate shares her insights to inspire women in resources

On 19 October, Project Manager Kate Baker took centre stage to share her experience and insights at the 2023 CME Women in Resources Networking Sundowner in Bunbury. 

She provided her unique perspective on the ups and downs of building a career as a mechanical engineer in the resources sector and talked about her journey with Monadelphous so far, which you can read more about here.   

Recalling her high-school years as the only girl in physics and one of just two in chemistry, Kate said she believes that schools are where, as an industry, we must invest time and energy to promote diversity in our future workforce.  

“We can't wait for someone else to do it for us – we need to ensure we are adding more people to our industry in the future and that we are promoting it to a wider group of people from a young age,” she said.  

“I'm feeling very positive for the future of our industry, but it needs to be a combined and conscious effort to promote the great sectors in which we work, for everybody.” 

Kate added that ensuring inclusion in decision-making and provision of opportunities for women in the workplace is also key, giving everyone the tools they need to succeed.  

She provided valuable advice to others based on her career so far, including: 

1. Opportunities are what you make of them and, even though you don't always have control over the ones that are in front of you, you can still have control over the learnings you take from them. 
2. Look for support and allies where you work. What you say about someone when they aren't in the room is so important. Support each other and be each other's allies.  
3. This is a very small industry, one in which we all bump into each other again. Don’t burn your bridges. 
4. I was a role model throughout my career without consciously thinking about it. Now I will actively seek out opportunities to help wherever I can to bring a voice to our industry and encourage more women of all ages to give it a go. It is true that “You can't be what you can't see" so be the person that people see and don't wait for someone else to be this person. This includes being the person supporting the women in your team.   
5. Diversity, inclusion and equity in teams starts from the ground up with our inclusive language and ensuring it is embedded – not just a requirement but as a core value for teams. 
   

Hosted by the Chamber of Minerals & Energy (CME), the sundowner event also featured a panel discussion with Albermarle's Alex Hill and Michael Ursino, focusing on conversations about diversity and inclusion.