Category: Employee Spotlight

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.

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 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.

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.