Wyloo isn’t your average mining company. We’re a relatively new business, and that gives us a huge opportunity – and responsibility – to set our culture and values from the ground up. We don’t have to do things the way they’ve always been done in our industry. We get to build something different, and that’s what excites me.

Our leadership team is a mix of people from different industries, countries, ages and personal circumstances. That variety of perspectives makes us better – it helps us see things from more angles and keeps us honest about what we do well and where our blind spots are. They role model behaviours that set the standard for inclusion at Wyloo – from not accepting meetings during school drop off time to regularly working from home when quiet time is needed.

For me, equity is personal. I grew up in South Africa, a country where the value of inclusion – and the cost of exclusion – is impossible to ignore. Now, as a dad with a young family, I think a lot about the kind of workplaces my kids will one day step into – and how leaders like me can shape them into places where everyone feels they belong, and their unique contributions are valued. I want this for them, and I want it for my teams today.

I also take inspiration from our founders, Andrew and Nicola Forrest, who live the values of equity and inclusion in everything they do – whether it’s in business or through their philanthropy. Their example reminds us that equity isn’t something you just talk about; it’s something you consistently put into action.

Wyloo became a stand-alone company only about three years ago, and since then we’ve grown fast – across countries, commodities and cultures. Each new company acquisition brought new people and ways of working, which was both exciting and challenging when it came to embedding equity and inclusion within a changing workforce.

When you’re in the thick of building a company, gender equity can risk sliding down the list of immediate priorities. We’ve had to navigate swings in the size and make-up of our workforce and adapt as we go. But from the start, we knew we wanted equity to be more than a policy or a tick-box exercise, and have made it a priority right from the beginning.

That’s why some of the things I’m most proud of in these early years are in this space:
• Parental leave that works for all families. No primary vs secondary carer distinction, a reduced amount of service required before accessing parental leave, flexibility to start leave up to 18 months after a child arrives, and additional support in the event of stillbirth or infant loss. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and we wanted a policy that reflects that.
• Flexibility as the default. For all non-operational roles, we start with “yes, flexibility is possible” and encourage people to test out different arrangements. It’s about trust and finding what works for the individual.
• Clear gender targets. 40% women, 40% men and 20% any gender across leadership and the workforce. Right now, we’re at 25% women in the C-Suite and just under 40% in senior leadership globally. A good start, but we’re determined to go further.
• Backing the next generation. Through our work with students via CoRE Foundation and by supporting career development pathways for women at Wyloo.
• Making gender equity a core part of our DE&I strategy, not just a side project.

These steps matter because they send a clear signal: we want Wyloo to be a place where people from all walks of life can be themselves at work, and where gender is never a barrier to opportunity.

We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far, but we know there’s much more to do. The next stage is about further embedding these initiatives, implementing the next phase, and making sure they make a measurable impact. Some of the things on our list include:
• Introducing a culture measurement tool that will highlight differences in employee experience across demographics, including gender.
• Building on our roadmap to reach our gender targets, with transparency and accountability along the way.
• Embedding bias-reducing measures into our recruitment and promotion processes.
• Learning from others – including this community of CEOs – so we don’t just rely on what we know, but keep pushing ourselves further.

For us, equity is common sense. It leads to better decision-making, stronger teams and more resilient organisations. But more than that, it’s the right thing to do. Workplaces where everyone feels valued and included are simply better – better for individuals, better for company performance and better for society.

By joining this community, I want to learn, contribute and keep challenging myself and my team to go further. We’re at the beginning of this journey, and we’re humble enough to know we have a lot to learn. But we’re committed. We’re energised. And we’re ready to keep building a company where equity is not just a value we talk about, but a reality our people live every day.