[miningmx.com] — THE possibility of earning a good keep in mining will
not be over soon, but careful planning and a knack for some key soft skills will make
you rise higher than your well-paid peers.
AngloGold Ashanti’s Italia Boninelli, the company’s Executive Vice-President for
People and Organisational Development, and Faried Sallie, Managing Director of De
Beers’ Diamond Trading Company, told a mining career forum at Gibs on Tuesday
that highly remunerated opportunities will remain par for the course for many years
to come.
“The earnings potential is definitely there,’ said Boninelli. “What we see these days
is graduate mining engineers with just a few years experience already earning
R800,000 per year.’ Boninelli herself has earned at least R3.1m in 2011, according to the company’s annual report, comprising a salary of R749,000 for December and November (she was promoted to the executive team on November 1) and a performance bonus of R2.34m for the full year.*
“We’re looking for skills all over the world,’ she said. “AngloGold Ashanti is
operating in 10 countries, but we have presence in 22; we take people from all over
the world and we move people all over the world.’
Boninelli said opportunities in new fields were opening up as miners embark on
research and development in an era where a focus on sustainable development has
become critical.
“A very recent example is where we are borrowing technology and innovation from
the tunnel-boring and construction industries,’ she said. “Mining and other
industries can put all of that know-how together to find new ways to do deep-level
mining in South African mines.
“The traditional approach would’ve been to close our mines and look inside the
company for possible answers; we’re now going in the completely opposite route.’
She said employers have also become more flexible as they allow employees with
critical skills to fly to and from projects on a regular basis, spending an equal
amount of time between working at a project site and being at home. “If it’s scarce
you have to be flexible and adjust.’
A correct approach to a career would be to regard every position as one cycle, she
said. For under-30s such a cycle would typically last two to three years, while a cycle
for more senior positions would be between three and five years.
“In a large-scope project you’ll only see your own impact after some time,’ she said.
According to Sallie, one has to master at least 80% of all the requirements a certain
role demands before moving on. “You need to take a business through both the good
and the bad to maximise your learning experience,’ Sallie said.
Sallie said a key feature of being employed in mining is the big premium being put
on execution. “We spend billions of dollars annually on capital projects and working
costs,’ Sallie said. “How you deliver and hold people accountable is critical.’
He said it is key for individuals to understand their own strengths and weaknesses,
but one strength has to be the ability to communicate. “You constantly need to be
communicating and sharing message and convince [people] and convey,’ he said.
“Part of your success is how you deal upwards and downwards. You need to be the
master of your own destiny. You need to choose your boss, you need to promote
your boss and you need to make sure your boss promotes you.’
Another soft skill Sallie emphasised was the ability to form alliances in the
workplace. “Mining is all about working with people,’ he said. “Know who your team
are and make sure you are standing for the success of your team.
“What you can’t do in the delivery of multi-billion dollar projects is to deliver it
yourself.’
*Miningmx made a correction to the first version of the story. The original version read: “Boninelli herself has earned R3.1m in the last two months of AngloGold Ashanti’s 2011 financial year, according to the company’s annual report, having joined the group on November 1.” Miningmx apologises for the error.
