Inspiring women in mining: Louise Porteus of Thor | Mining News

Inspiring women in mining: Louise Porteus of Thor – Mining News

Louise Porteus is an surroundings and social supervisor at Thor Explorations, which owns the Segilola gold mine in south-west Nigeria. She has been working at Thor for the previous eight years after a vibrant profession in mining, power, infrastructure and concrete development tasks in more than 50 international locations.

Having confronted what she phrases “bottlenecks or blocking” during her profession, Porteus now champions range by her work, which contributed to Thor successful an environmental, social and governance (ESG) award for labour at Mining Indaba last 12 months. She additionally made the 2024 listing of 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining, a biennial publication put collectively by advocacy group Women in Mining.  

Ahead of International Women’s Day, Mining Technology asks Porteus to share her profession highlights, key achievements and suggestions for women navigating a profession in the sector. We additionally search her perspective on the evolving gender range panorama in mining, notably in Africa.

From city planning to mine development

“I chose my original career in town planning in Australia in the early 1980s as I enjoyed geography and history at school,” Porteus tells Mining Technology. She began out working in native authorities, assessing native and regional environmental plans, earlier than transferring to the UK for a related position.

In 1991–92, Porteus took an alternative to guide scientific diving expeditions in Belize to help the institution of a marine reserve for a non-governmental organisation. “That got me thinking about working in developing countries and the social interaction between environment and livelihoods,” she says.

After one other stint back home, Porteus returned to the UK to finish a grasp’s in development planning, graduating from University College London in 1996. She then transitioned to roles with British engineering corporations the place she might contribute socio-environmental experience to massive tasks.

However, after a decade engaged on World Bank, Asian Development and Caribbean Development Bank infrastructure and concrete development initiatives, Porteus noticed that “very little actual development or impacts were realised into the poor communities such projects were aimed to help”.

So, when the chance got here to hitch Thor in 2017, she “grabbed it with open arms”.

Today, Porteus’ position is numerous. Working for a small entrepreneurial mining company, fairly than a larger organisation – which she says are sometimes “a bit bureaucratic and very male dominated” – has enabled her to carve out a space for women and champion range.

“One thing I am keen to do is to get over the silos that can exist in mining,” she says.

Supporting women and native communities on the Segilola project

Taking the Segilola gold project from idea design to operation within 5 years is one thing Porteus describes as “one of her greatest achievements”.

Segilola, which has an estimated useful resource of 517,800oz, began working in direction of the top of 2021. The mine produced 98,000oz of gold in 2022, 84,500oz in 2023 and 85,000oz of gold in 2024.

Porteus has been instrumental in supporting range at Segilola, which the company claims is Nigeria’s “first and only large-scale commercial gold mine”.

“A couple years ago… I visited Endeavour Sabodala-Massawa mine near one of our exploration licences in Senegal, where all the truck drivers are women,” says Porteus.

“They found there are [fewer] accidents, that the trucks are better maintained and that they are not driven [as] fast, etc.”

The journey prompted Thor to launch a programme at its Segilola mine in Nigeria, which necessitated building new lodging and setting up coaching for feminine staff. The company began out with 8% women in its workforce; Porteus has an ESG goal to succeed in 12% of women in Thor’s workforce by 2025, which she hopes to surpass.

“It is not just about getting women to be at meetings,” Porteus says, though that is one thing she encourages as the one feminine member of Thor’s government committee.

“Women can do lots of things on mine sites. We now have female geologists, accountants, truck drivers, etc.”

She provides that “it is particularly important for the host communities around our site that they can see there are roles for them”.

Porteus’ position additionally concerned finalising neighborhood development agreements for the Segilola mine (which set out the benefit of the project to the host communities and are a legal requirement in Nigeria). This was an 18-month course of that came about previous to construction.

Today, the overwhelming majority – 98% of these employed – at Segilola are Nigerian nationals, with 37% recruited from native communities.

“Host communities have benefitted from scholarships to enable children from vulnerable households to stay in school, annual women and youth initiatives, and the rebuilding of schools and community buildings,” says Porteus.

These initiatives are additionally serving to to reshape perceptions of the mining industry in Nigeria, with women, cultural leaders and communities instantly benefitting from their success.

“I see this as a very important role in my career,” she says. “What I am doing at the moment [is] to make sure that that communal thinking happens; I can see the change.”

Porteus’ major inspiration is her grandfather, who left faculty at 14 to work in a horse steady at a coal mine. He ultimately graduated from a technical school and progressed up the ranks to grow to be a deputy mine supervisor.

“I have taken lessons from his life into developing countries where I work – to ensure that within mining projects we can move local workers from low-skilled to semi-skilled and beyond,” she says.

Seeking technical coaching to make sure upskilling is vital, in keeping with Porteus, as “even where literacy and numeracy skills may be low, ingenuity is high”.

Overcoming profession ‘barriers and blockers’ as a girl in mining

Porteus’ profession, which she describes as “a labyrinth rather than a ladder”, has not been simple.

“Some of the biggest challenges I have faced in my career have been smashing the glass ceilings in companies,” she says. This has included tackling discrimination on promotion and equal pay, in addition to battling to realize a place on the decision-making desk – and being listened to as soon as at that desk.

“I think things [with gender discrimination] have changed [for the better] a lot,” she muses, however – of course – there may be nonetheless more that may be accomplished.

The boundaries women proceed to face in the mining industry vary from security considerations, corresponding to bullying and gender-based harassment, to discriminatory remedy, pay gaps and lack of help or ample amenities. However, the industry is making concerted efforts to handle these with initiatives that foster inclusion in the office and by advocating for sustainable practices and information sharing.

Today, Porteus spends a lot of her time advocating for women in senior roles and giving them the arrogance to talk up and be heard.

“I have been very much part of that decision-making, and I think that has been an important role in my career, but I also think it is an important role that women need to take in their careers, and particularly in mining,” she displays.

“Some decisions I made during my career have helped me get to where I am now, on the executive committee and as a manager in a company with a West Africa reach.”

Her highway to success concerned taking initiative and dangers which, at instances, required placing herself in unfamiliar positions. “I did insist that I go overseas. I was the only woman on the team sometimes and [had to] deliver and be comfortable in different cultures,” she says.

Her advice for these working in industry? “Don’t let your own perceptions restrict what you are able to do. Don’t be afraid to assume larger.

“Sometimes that job [you want] might not happen straight away but put yourself in a position where you can get that.”

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