South32 women named 'Women in Resources Awards’ finalists

Congratulations to Sara Braund, Michelle Keegan and Kristen Pelc from our Perth office for being nominated as finalists at the upcoming annual Chamber of Minerals and Energy Western Australia Women in Resources Awards. 

The awards recognise individuals and organisations for their significant contributions to the mining and resources sector in Western Australia.

Sara Braund, Vice President Digital Technology has been nominated in the Outstanding Woman in Resources category. Sara is responsible for the delivery of technology services, platforms and business applications for 10 of our operational sites and six corporate offices. Sara is lead sponsor for the South32 Introducing Girls to STEM initiative and regularly shares her career challenges and lessons learned at panel events around Perth.

Michelle Keegan, Program Director Technology Development has been nominated in the Women in Resources Technological Innovation Award category. Michelle is responsible for leading the identification, design and delivery of technology and innovation for greenfield projects and the translation for brownfield operations. Michelle regularly gives time to mentor those early in their careers and is a champion for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. This includes presenting at universities, student advisory and remaining involved with alumni at the Western Australian School of Mines.

Kristen Pelc, Principal Commercial, has been nominated in the Outstanding Young Woman in Resources category. Kristen is a passionate advocate for young women in the industry. By speaking about her own experiences, Kristen has encouraged hundreds of young women to pursue non-traditional roles. She has presented to university lecture classes, spoken at industry events and for the last eight years has participated at student career fairs.

You can find out more about the awards and these inspiring women here.

Image (Left to right: Sara Braund, Michelle Keegan and Kristen Pelc).