For Jiawei (Frank) Zhang, working on an initiative designed to revolutionise data management
at Wyloo is an opportunity to channel his skill set in the professional world.
Frank, who is completing a Master of Business Analytic Degree at the University of British
Columbia–Saunder School of Business has joined our team in Toronto for three months in a co-op
placement.
Co-op student programs integrate work periods in companies related to the field of study the
student is completing, providing valuable job experience and a fresh perspective for the host
company.
“I chose to undertake a co-op role with Wyloo because the role and organisation are a great fit
for my skills, professional goals and my personal values,” said Frank.
“In addition to the rewarding work, the people here at Wyloo are lovely; I really like my team and
my managers. Since joining, I have had many opportunities to have my opinions heard, be part
of the conversation and feel empowered to do my work.”
Wyloo is equally thrilled to have Frank’s fresh perspective as he assists in the research and
development of Wyloo’s ‘Glass Box’ approach; an initiative designed to provide maximum
transparency to stakeholders around our Eagle’s Nest Project, including real-time access to
project information, environmental monitoring and data capture.
The approach leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI), particularly generative large
language models, to optimize data accessibility and analytics within data management
platforms.
Frank is diving deep into the latest available research to develop general guidelines and first
principles for adopting AI in Wyloo’s database and content management systems, which will
inform our ‘Glass Box’ approach.
“My involvement in the ‘Glass Box’ approach is highly relevant to my studies in Business
Analytics, as it allows me to apply and further develop my skills in data analytics and AI
integration,” he said.
“I have the opportunity to engage directly with cutting-edge technologies in AI integration,
database management, and research, especially within the context of sustainability and largescale
project management.
“Wyloo’s commitment to transparency and sustainability, exemplified by projects like Eagle’s
Nest and the innovative “Glass Box” initiative, resonates strongly with one of my important
beliefs of building long-lasting, trusting relationships and community. This role offers a unique
chance to contribute to impactful projects and develop my skills in a dynamic and forward thinking
environment.
“AI has a transformative role in the future of mining and sustainability by enhancing operational
efficiency, reducing environmental impact, and improving safety and compliance monitoring
through the lens of data analytics and predictive modeling. For Wyloo, utilizing AI is critical in
creating an interface for transparency, demonstrating the company’s goals of leading the
industry in sustainability practices and trust acquisition.”
Zahir Jina, Frank’s manager, remarked on Frank’s fresh approach to AI foundations and
integration as an asset to the team.
”Frank has quickly integrated and become a valued member of our team. His insights have
supported an understanding of AI foundations and integration for our “Glass Box” framework,
which are critical for implementation. We are excited to welcome co-op students to Wyloo,
providing their unique perspectives and knowledge as we advance our mission of environmental
stewardship,” he said.
Thank you for being part of our team, Frank!
Category: Employee Spotlight
Geologist, teacher, paddler: meet Tairia Hutton
Senior Geology Technician Tairia Hutton isn’t your ordinary geologist.
Not only did she start her career as a teacher before discovering the world of seismic data, geology and mining, but she also holds a hidden sporting talent that has taken her across the world.
“I was a primary school teacher for many years, and I was asked if I could help in a geotechnical team during a school holiday period in early 2000,” Tairia said.
“First, I was curious about the data, and before you know it, I was completing down-hole surveys in a nickel mine. I was then approached by the geology manager about running a nickel core yard, where I worked alongside excellent geologists who taught me how to log core, how to measure structures and how to see it in 3D. That was just the beginning.
“I started working for Wyloo, which was then called Mincor, in 2008 until 2012, before returning in 2020. My role looks after the geology processes and procedures across our sites with a focus on teaching geologists and geo-technicians the fine art of mapping faces underground, transferring that information onto level plans and scanning that information back into our 3D program ready for creating or updating geology models.
“My role also involves me mentoring our teams across technical areas and professional skills, which is something I really enjoy as it builds a culture of trust and integrity among the crew in line with our Values.”
Alongside her fly-in, fly-out role to our Kambalda sites, Tairia is a talented paddler, having previously competed in states and nationals and soon, for Australia at the International Va’a (canoeing) Federation World Sprints in August 2024.
Tairia’s strict training regime ensures she is able to compete at the highest level, having taken home numerous medals across a variety of competitions since she started the sport four years ago.
“On site, I train Monday to Friday completing five different strength and cardio sessions at the gym with my rest days on Saturday and Sunday. At home, I do the same, but I also swim two kilometres after each session and paddle 12 kilometres a few times a week,” she said.
“Some weekends I have competitions and I also have an eating regime that I need to maintain. I love it and its worth all the hard work as I continue to reach my goals and achieve medals.
“I’ve been lucky to receive backing from work with an adapted roster so I could continue my training, as well as being supported to take leave to compete in competitions interstate or overseas, such as Vaka Evia in the Cook Islands and The Takapuna Cup in New Zealand.
“My work colleagues have always supported me and held me accountable with my nutrition and training, with a couple of the guys buying bikes so they could cycle with me and joining in for fitness or swimming sessions in Kambalda to keep me motivated.
“I’ve been fundraising to help with the costs of getting to Worlds in August and my colleagues have been wonderful in their support, with some even donating prizes to the raffle and buying tickets.
“I truly appreciate my work colleagues when they ask about my sport, my next achievements and all the encouragement they have given in the past four years.”
Our Asset President – Kambalda Steve Price said it was a pleasure to support Tairia in her goals outside of work.
“Tairia is a valued member of our Wyloo family and its special to be able to support her in her commitments, which we are so proud of,” Steve said.
‘Down-to-earth’ culture draws in Canada CFO
Wyloo Chief Financial Officer, Canada Annie Sismanian’s love affair with mining started in 2006, the second she stepped foot in the industry.
Now, almost two decades on, her adoration continues having worked across numerous organisations before joining Wyloo (previously, Ring of Fire Metals), in January 2023.
Annie is one of two chief financial officers at Wyloo, alongside Perth-based Chief Financial Officer Nanette Trask.
In recognition of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2024, Annie shares what it is that she loves about working in mining and why it’s valuable to invest in women across the sector.
“I was told early in my career that because Canada excelled in mining, it was an industry I ‘had to’ get into. This stuck with me and some years later, I joined a mining company and I instantly knew this is where I belonged,” Annie said.
“As a globally significant industry, mining is highly complex and intertwines financial, political, environmental and technical aspects which I find fascinating. Most importantly, I enjoy working with the people, who are very down-to-earth, smart and hard-working.
“Life is about learning as much as you can every day, and I think mining is a fantastic place to learn and grow.”
She said her position as Wyloo CFO, Canada is a dual role of stewardship and performance.
“In my role today, I’m responsible for all aspects of financial management of our Canadian operations, including formulating and compiling budgets (and tracking against those budgets), providing stewardship of organisational assets, and obtaining information that can be used to add value and make strategic decisions,” she said.
“Beyond the job itself, it’s the people that I get to work with and our Values, which are deeply ingrained in everything we do, that make me enjoy working at Wyloo.”
Despite being encouraged to get into mining early in her career, Annie said women should get exposure to the industry far earlier.
“I think it’s important to start getting women exposed to mining-related careers in high school and university, especially on the technical engineering side, to ensure they are aware of mining as an option for their careers,” she said.
“We also need to start changing the narrative about the mining industry by focusing on all the good things the industry does and having more women in leadership positions, so that more women are interested in the field from a young age and can see what is possible.
“To support women in their careers, just as much as men, it’s important to invest in programs and training that help them progress in their careers and reach their full potential.”
Annie said International Women’s Day was about recognising women for who they are and the impact they’ve had and continue to have on the world.
“International Women’s Day isn’t about encouraging women to be ‘more like a man’ or wanting women to be recognised above men, it’s about gender equality and celebrating the contribution women make to our communities, workplaces and families,” she said.
“It’s a special day to reflect on our own accomplishments with gratitude and consider how we can pave the way for other women to be successful in future.”
Like many women in mining and finance, Annie is making incredible contributions to the industry and is paving the way for future generations.
On International Women’s Day, we celebrate and recognise the achievements of and contributions that women have made to our values-driven culture and the future of Wyloo and our communities.
Mining is where the heart is for Wyloo CFO
Female chief financial officers are few and far between in the Australian mining industry, however, Wyloo is bucking the trend.
Proudly home to two chief financial officers, both of which are women, Wyloo is a contrast to the top 50 mining companies on the ASX where only 20 per cent have a female-identifying CFO.
One of our CFOs is Perth-based Nanette Trask.
In recognition of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2024, Nanette explains how her career ‘chose her’, the challenges she’s faced and why she advocates for gender equality across mining and leadership teams.
“I grew up in a South African mining village, so mining has always been in my blood. I believe I was somehow destined for a career in the industry, and here I am today, working as a CFO in mining and I love it,” Nanette said.
“I started my career in business assurance and economics, so it wasn’t part of my original plan to be a CFO. However, some of my previous roles, which I somewhat fell into for various reasons, enabled me to get exposure to and experience in a range of financial and business functions.“
“This led me to joining Wyloo as General Manager, Finance in May 2022, before taking the step up to CFO in September last year. I oversee our corporate functions, including human resources and technology, the financial health of the business and how we operate.
“Mining is such a fascinating environment with many unique challenges and opportunities. We play an important role in delivering critical minerals to decarbonise our planet, but with that, comes a need to adapt to a constantly changing world, with the ebbs and flows of supply and demand. We are always looking for ways to improve our ESG standards and maximise our opportunities.
“Finance spans across every aspect of the business which makes my role highly varied and dynamic.”
According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency and Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre’s Gender Equity Insights 2020 report, increasing gender equality in the workplace and promoting female leadership delivers greater company performance, profitability and productivity.
“Thanks to research, we know we get better outcomes when we have women involved. With gender equality comes a bigger pool of talent to draw from, more diverse perspectives and economic resilience, which are all very positive,” she said.
Heading into International Women’s Day, Nanette said it’s the perfect time to reflect on where we are, how far we’ve come and where we’re going in relation to gender equality in the mining industry, and more generally.
“We have a long way to go to reach true gender equality, but it’s important to recognise what we’ve had to endure to get to where we are today,” she said.
“I’ve certainly found it challenging being a woman in both finance and mining. In previous roles, where I was the only woman in the leadership team, it took a long time to build respect and change the perception that people had of me.
“Coming to Wyloo, its clear gender equality is a priority. Our CEO, Luca, is a strong advocate for it and is leading the charge from within, which I think is key. He’s not just thinking about getting women into Wyloo, he’s considering how we develop and retain them through supportive practices and policies that allow all of our staff to participate in work.
“We acknowledge we have a way to go, but we continue to work towards our gender equality goals across our leadership team and workforce. Luca’s direction, supported by the greater leadership team, is a great example of how a change can be made.”
Like many women in mining and finance, Nanette, and our CFO, Canada Annie Sismanian, are making incredible contributions to the industry and is paving the way for future generations.
On International Women’s Day, we celebrate and recognise the achievements of and contributions that women have made to our values-driven culture and the future of Wyloo and our communities.
Dana’s journey digging for change
Dana Campbell, a passionate, trailblazing geologist from Wyloo’s Ring of Fire team, is paving the way for women in mining.
In recognition of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2024, Dana explains her journey to where she is today and the simple things the mining industry can do to empower women in the field.
As Project Geologist at our Esker site and Thunder Bay office, Dana’s day-to-day is highly varied with work taking her across Ontario’s Ring of Fire region.
“I participate in geology-related research and activities to define prospective targets in and around the Ring of Fire. Part of my job is being dropped off in the wilderness and traversing to collect samples or map geology,” Dana said.
“I love that I get to travel to remote areas and explore for work – it’s difficult to describe how peaceful the feeling of complete silence, calm stillness, and a cool breeze is in the middle of the wilderness.”
Dana’s foray into geology, inspired by her dad, came after she realised her initial career choice in music – a vastly different industry to earth sciences – wasn’t what she wanted to pursue professionally.
“I quickly decided music was something I wanted to do in my own time versus something I wanted career-wise,” she said.
“Geology caught my eye because my dad had been a prospector for years. When I started my geology course, I excelled academically and really enjoyed it, so I decided to pursue it.”
When talking of her experience as a woman in mining, Dana said there have been challenges with underrepresentation.
“I, along with many women in the mining industry, have been in the situation where less than three per cent of the workforce are women, or I’m the only woman at a mine site,” she said.
“It’s a battle to explain how my experience has been different to the experiences of men in the same position as me and to advocate for that recognition or acknowledgement.”
To help women feel comfortable, welcome and valued in mining, it’s vital to treat them as part of the team, not as a token, explained Dana.
“In my position [at Wyloo], I’m treated like I’m the project geologist, not just some woman at site. I’ve received more respect and trust than any previous role and I believe a large part of that comes from the diversity at site,” she said.
“For example, I don’t have to stay in a designated bunk for women or share with someone just because we are the only women on site. I can stay in the geologist cabin because I’m a part of the geology team and I’m treated equally. This should be the norm.”
She said investing in women through small, yet significant, changes, will help boost representation of women in mining.
“We need to ensure that we recognise the barriers and challenges women face in the industry, particularly the additional challenges faced by women of colour, Indigenous women, and 2SLGBTQIA+ women,” she said.
“We also need to take steps to engage with the right organisations and have initiatives that incentivise women of all professions to be involved in mining. If we can recruit more women by showing them that their voices will be heard, their efforts will be valued, and their safety will be prioritised, retention and representation will follow.
“It is essential to invest in women in our communities – by investing in women we can uplift them and increase the number of women across mining in different roles.”
Like many women in mining, Dana is making incredible contributions to the industry and is paving the way for future generations of geologists and beyond. She recently participated in the Ontario Winter Games sharing her experiences as a geologist and presented at the Women in Mining Night Scholarship Night in Thunder Bay.
Dana is currently one of two women in our Thunder Bay office and the only woman at our Esker site. We are committed to increasing representation across our workforce and to becoming leaders of gender equality across the broader industry.
On International Women’s Day, we celebrate and recognise the achievements of and contributions that women have made to our values-driven culture and the future of Wyloo and our communities.
Employee Spotlight
Name: Lindberg Baxter
Community: Marten Falls/Fort Albany
Job Position: Field Assistant
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY IN YOUR ROLE LOOK LIKE?
It depends on the season or what programs we have planned. My tasks can include line cutting, geophysics survey work, moving core, packing trails, or cleaning up site.
WHAT IS IT LIKE WORKING AT ESKER?
It’s a blast! We work with fun people – we’re basically family. We’re always laughing and having a good time while working hard. Also, freezing and roasting depending on the time of year.
HOW IS WORKING 2 WEEKS ON + 2 WEEKS OFF?
It’s good! You get used to people cooking for you so when you go home you don’t want to cook. It teaches you how to manage your time when you’re at home. Sometimes it’s hard because you miss out on things back home, but the work is rewarding.
WHAT IS ONE THING YOU’VE LEARNED SINCE STARTING WORK AT ROF METALS?
I’ve learned that I like to work hard and see my completed work after I’m done. I find value in working hard – it’s fun and I’ve learned to enjoy working with people and by myself. It’s grounding.
This job has changed my life – I’ve learned how to be responsible, independent and how to be myself. Also, that you sweat A LOT haha.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE ESKER MEAL?
It’s a tie between Cory’s ribs with mashed potatoes, gravy, fries and broccoli with cheese or his cream cheese chicken and rice.
Employee Profile – Safety First!
WHAT DO YOU DO AT RING OF FIRE METALS?
I am the Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Coordinator at Esker Site. A role that I gladly accepted with Ring of Fire Metals while I was finishing my Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Learning at Lakehead University this past April.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
I start my day at Esker Site by going for breakfast and greeting everybody with a good morning while enjoying a cup of coffee. During our morning toolbox meeting I am actively listening and engaging in the conversation, at times I will also give the toolbox safety talk.
After the meeting I usually head to the Esker Site office to input data into spreadsheets we use to organize our site operations. Other duties I would do throughout a rotation include conducting mock emergency scenarios, health and safety inspections, conducting orientations for new workers coming to Esker and organizing inventory.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT WORKING AT RING OF FIRE METALS?
I really enjoy the atmosphere and people that I work with. When you get a group of like-minded workers it makes the days go by quick and rotations enjoyable. The food is also great, and with the recent site renovations the Rec. Room is a great place to hang out after work hours and enjoy each others company.
HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR FUTURE AS RING OF FIRE METALS TRANSITIONS INTO AN OPERATING MINE?
I would like to one day be in a Supervisor/Managerial role with the company, everybody has to start somewhere, so I am glad I am able to get my start with Ring of Fire Metals as the HSE Coordinator. As time progresses, we all learn new skills and traits and we put that back into the work we do.
WHAT IS YOUR TOP SAFETY TIP?
Always wear personal protective equipment. Whether it’s footwear, high-visibility clothing, safety glasses, gloves, or safety equipment. Personal protective equipment can help minimize exposure to hazards and protect you from workplace injuries and illnesses.
Interested in working for Ring of Fire Metals?
Email careers@rofmetals.com or register an expression of interest on the careers page here.