Jill Coppo named 2022 Exceptional Young Woman in Resources

Our Cannington operation's Jill Coppo has won a prestigious Queensland mining industry award after being recognised for her excellence in engineering and her passionate work mentoring young people.

Jill was named Exceptional Young Woman in Resources at the 2022 Queensland Resources Council and Women in Mining and Resources Queensland Awards during a ceremony on International Women's Day.

Jill joined South32 in 2018 and has been instrumental in overseeing the delivery of large, complex projects at Cannington, helping to improve asset management practices and engineering design management processes. She also helped to develop a training and skills building program for Cannington’s engineering team.

Jill is passionate about being a role model for young people in the mining industry and has spent significant time volunteering her time to promote Cannington’s graduate and vacation programs and supporting Science Technology Engineering and Maths initiatives at local high schools in Townsville.

She regularly mentors young people on Cannington’s graduate program, helping to make it a positive, rewarding experience.

Jill said she was proud to be the recipient of the prestigious award that celebrates her contribution to diversity and inclusion in the resources sector.

“Being a strong role model to other women at Cannington Mine and more broadly in the industry and community is incredibly important to me. I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given to grow as a leader with South32, and I will do my best to give these same opportunities to other young people in our industry,” Jill said.

Cannington Vice President Operations Joe Russell said, “Jill is an exceptional engineer and a tremendous leader at Cannington and in her community.

“She is also a fantastic role model for the next generation of talent entering the mining industry. We want to encourage more young people to pursue careers with South32 and Jill’s work supporting and empowering our graduates is inspirational. She is a very deserving winner of the Exceptional Young Woman in Resources award.”