TWO women from Rio Tinto’s Weipa operations are up for awards at Wednesday’s 2023 Queensland Resources Council/Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WIMARQ) Resources Awards for Women.
Allyson Cousens and Jaime McCombe are in Brisbane for the International Women’s Day breakfast, where they will join 17 other finalists and guests from around Australia for the announcement of the winners.
Ms Cousens, a finalist for Inclusion and Diversity Champion in Queensland Resources, said: “I was really excited to be nominated for this award and never imagined that I would become one of the finalists.
“I am extremely passionate about diversity and inclusion, and becoming a finalist has made me realise that the work we do here at Rio Tinto in Weipa is really amazing and worthy of being showcased .”
Since joining Rio Tinto Weipa in 2021, Ms Cousens’ priority was to attract workers from diverse backgrounds, particularly women and local Indigenous people.
She also took on the role of chair of the Inclusion and Diversity Committee, which is responsible for increasing female workforce participation at operational and leadership levels.
Ms McCombe is a finalist for Exceptional Tradeswoman/Technician/Operator in Queensland Resources and was the youngest apprentice that Rio Tinto had employed in their Weipa operations when she started in 2007.
Gaining experience in roles across the Northern Territory and Queensland, Ms McCombe returned to Weipa in 2016 where she is now the maintenance supervisor for fixed plant maintenance.
“I’m a little nervous but excited to attend the awards. It’s a great chance though to meet some incredible people in the industry and hear their stories,” she said.
Cape York Weekly will publish the list of winners on our Facebook page on Wednesday.
