By Tricia Mifsud
SOUTHERN Cross Gold general manager Lisa Gibbons has been recognised for her exceptional work in the mining industry at the 2022 Victorian Women in Resources Awards.
Ms Gibbons was awarded Exceptional Woman in Victorian Resources as she leads a mining exploration for gold at a property in Clonbinane.
The exploration is more than just a search for gold; for Southern Cross Gold it’s about creating a diverse and inclusive working environment.
Ms Gibbons believes working towards achieving diversity and inclusivity not only at Southern Cross Gold, but through her previous work in the mining industry, is what led to her earning the award.
“Mining has this image that we’re not really progressive, but we are probably one of the most progressive industries there is,” she said.
“And part of that is to showcase women in mining especially women in management roles. I think at the moment only about 20 per cent of the workforce in mining is only women and as you go higher, it gets down to be about six per cent of women are managers.
“We’re a locally-based company (Southern Cross Gold), we all live locally, we all work locally and even our managing director was born and bred in Kilmore.
“I think I got the award because of that type of work … trying to connect the community to what we do, trying to partner with the Indigenous people, and trying to make our industry sustainable.
“The most successful companies are the most inclusive and diverse, and that’s what we’re looking for at Southern Cross Media.”
Ms Gibbons made special mention to fellow recipient of the Exceptional Woman in Victorian Resources award, Agnico Eagle environment and government relations director Felicia Binks.
Ms Gibbons and Ms Binks joined the mining industry at about the same time, when even less women made up the mining workforce.
“I am really pleased to be winning this award with Felicia Binks. She’s a super powerhouse and has been such a good ambassador for women in mining. When she and I joined the mining industry it was so common to not have any women,” she said.
“I worked in a mine in the Northern Territory for many years and as a female leader they would get a female geologist or field assistant and put her on my team because they felt we knew what to do.
“And I think we were a great exploration team because we were made up of females and knew how to get the job done.”
Ms Gibbons and the four other Victorian winners will now progress to the National Women in Resources National Awards.
The awards are an initiative of Minerals Council of Australia Victoria, with the support of Women in Mining and Resources Network Victoria.
