35 Influential HR Leaders Shaping Resources and Energy Across ANZ

Last updated: June 2026

The people leading HR strategy in Australia and New Zealand's resources and energy sector in 2026 are operating in one of the most structurally complex workforce environments in the world. Australia's resources sector directly employs more than 299,200 people, according to Job and Skills Australia. It is the country's highest-paying industry, with median weekly full-time earnings of approximately AU$2,649, and it contributes more than 12 per cent of GDP while accounting for approximately 70 per cent of export earnings.

New Zealand launched its first national Minerals Strategy in January 2025, targeting a doubling of minerals export earnings to NZ$3 billion by 2035. As the sector expands into oil and gas, LNG, critical minerals, and energy transition projects, the workforce challenges are evolving faster than in almost any other Australian industry. The HR leaders profiled in this directory are the people managing that change from the inside.

The 35 people on this list were selected for a documented, fact-checked contribution to HR and people leadership in the resources and energy sector in Australia or New Zealand. The list has been expanded from its original mining-only scope to include oil and gas, LNG, mining services, and energy sector organisations, as well as the industry bodies and academic institutions whose work directly shapes how resources companies attract, retain, develop, and care for their workforces. Every role, every organisation name, and every factual claim was verified against primary sources.

If your resources or energy leadership team needs executive facilitation, Working Genius workshops, or team alignment support, email Jonno White, Certified Working Genius Facilitator and author of Step Up or Step Out (10,000+ copies sold), at jonno@consultclarity.org.

Three challenges are defining the sector's HR agenda as of June 2026. First, a structural skills shortage: the AREEA's 2025-2030 Resources and Energy Workforce Forecast projects demand for approximately 22,279 additional workers across 96 major projects representing AU$129.5 billion in investment. Second, a transformed regulatory environment: psychosocial safety has moved from an optional wellbeing conversation to a full legal compliance obligation under model WHS laws across Australian jurisdictions. Third, a demographic and cultural transformation: women make up approximately 22 per cent of the mining workforce and only 11 per cent of CEO roles, a gap that the best HR leaders in the sector are actively working to close.

Why HR in Resources and Energy Matters

Resources and energy HR is structurally distinct from HR in most other Australian industries, and understanding that distinction is the starting point for everything the leaders on this list do. The FIFO and DIDO workforce model extends employer obligations into the personal lives, relationship health, and mental wellbeing of employees in ways that most industry contexts never face. Psychosocial hazards including isolation, shift fatigue, relationship strain, and the persistent stress of safety-critical environments are occupational by design, not by accident.

Under the model WHS laws now in force across Australian jurisdictions, those hazards carry full legal weight, requiring proactive identification and management rather than reactive response. Enterprise bargaining in resources is among the most complex in Australia. The Closing Loopholes legislation effective November 2024 introduced same-job-same-pay provisions with significant implications for labour hire workforces across the mining and resources sector.

The gender pay gap in mining, at a median of approximately 19.8 per cent according to AWIMAR's 2025 report, is among the largest of any Australian industry. Indigenous employment in mining is proportionally higher than the national average, creating both opportunity and responsibility. The skills shortage is structural and projected to require tens of thousands of additional workers through to 2030.

Engage Jonno White, host of The Leadership Conversations Podcast (230+ episodes, 150+ countries), to facilitate your resources or energy executive team offsite at jonno@consultclarity.org.

How This List Was Compiled

Each of the 35 leaders on this list was selected for a documented, fact-checked contribution to HR and people leadership specifically within the resources and energy sector in Australia or New Zealand. The selection criteria included a current or recent senior role connected to mining, oil and gas, energy, or mining services HR, confirmed through primary sources within the last 12 months. A documented contribution to workforce strategy, industrial relations, diversity and inclusion, psychosocial safety, or talent development in the sector, and evidence of active engagement in 2025 or 2026, were also required. The list deliberately reaches beyond the largest companies to include practitioners, industry body leaders, consultants, and academic researchers whose influence is direct and often underrecognised.

This list has been expanded from an earlier mining-only version to include oil and gas, LNG, and broader energy sector leaders, as well as academic researchers whose work directly shapes how mining and resources companies manage psychosocial safety and workforce wellbeing. Where no primary pronoun source was available, entries are written using the person's name and role rather than gendered pronouns.

HR Leaders at Major Resources and Energy Companies

The chief people officers and VP-level HR leaders at Australia's largest resources and energy companies are responsible for some of the most complex workforce environments in the world. These roles span tens of thousands of employees across remote operations, multiple jurisdictions, complex union relationships, and increasing regulatory obligations.

1. Jad Vodopija

Jad Vodopija became BHP's Chief People Officer on 1 July 2022 and sits on the company's Executive Leadership Team. With more than 25 years of HR experience spanning Ford Motor Company, Orica, and multiple VP-level HR roles at BHP itself, she brings a depth of industrial and operational HR knowledge well matched to leading the people function at one of the world's largest mining companies. Her career at BHP prior to the CPO appointment included the VP Human Resources role, and before joining BHP she was VP Human Resources at Orica. The BHP website and a February/March 2026 HRM Magazine feature published by the AHRI confirm her current role.

In that 2026 feature, Vodopija articulated the shift she sees as most significant for HR leaders: the imperative to see the business from above, building enterprise perspective rather than remaining embedded in specialist function. Her public writing and AHRI engagement addresses the AI-driven transformation of HR, workforce redesign, and the automation of routine HR tasks specifically in the context of a mining and heavy industrial employer. Her sustained public engagement marks her as committed to advancing the profession, not only delivering for her employer.

Hire Jonno White to facilitate executive team alignment for your mining leadership team at jonno@consultclarity.org.

2. Ben Mansour

Ben Mansour is VP People and Corporate Relations for Anglo American's Steelmaking Coal Business in Australia, based in Brisbane, and the 2025 Australian HR Director of the Year. The award acknowledged his leadership of the people function at a major Queensland coal producer through significant industrial change, the rollout of new psychosocial obligations, and sustained pressure on regional talent pipelines. The Anglo American Australia website and the April 2026 HRD Australia interview are both primary sources confirming his current role and his thinking on HR in the sector.

In the April 2026 HRD Australia piece, Mansour identified the near-term priorities for HR in resources as workforce planning focused on stable, capable, permanently employed workforces; AI-powered predictive analytics applied to safety insights and compliance; and psychosocial safety embedded as an operational driver rather than a compliance checkbox. He was also named to the HRD Hot List 2025, the most recognised annual selection of outstanding HR executives in Australia and New Zealand. His combination of award recognition, public voice, and sector-specific clarity makes him one of the most influential HR figures in Australian resources.

Organisations in resources can engage Jonno White for executive facilitation and Working Genius workshops at jonno@consultclarity.org.

3. Georgie Bezette

Georgie Bezette is Chief People Officer of Rio Tinto, appointed on 1 January 2025. The Rio Tinto website confirms her current role, appointment date, and tenure with the company since 2008. Australian by nationality and based in London, she leads the people function for a company with major ANZ operations spanning Western Australia's iron ore and aluminium businesses and Queensland aluminium assets. Before becoming CPO, she served as Chief Operating Officer of the People function, where she led the transformation of HR in support of Rio Tinto's cultural change agenda following the Everyday Respect inquiry. Rio Tinto's appointment announcement described her as passionate about talent development, culture change, and creating inclusive environments.

The cultural transformation Bezette is leading at Rio Tinto carries particular weight given the accountability that followed the Everyday Respect inquiry. Her job is to ensure that the commitments made in response to that inquiry are structurally embedded rather than performatively documented. Her prior experience running the People operations function gives her the operational command that implementation actually requires.

Email jonno@consultclarity.org to book Jonno White for your resources leadership session.

4. Jennifer Douglas

Jennifer Douglas is President of Corporate Services at Orica, confirmed as of January 2025. The Orica website confirms her current role and its scope, which includes human resources, organisational effectiveness, global business services, risk and assurance, legal, communications, and IT. She joined Orica in 2014 from EY, where she spent more than 13 years across Melbourne and London, and progressively led the people function from Chief People Officer through Chief People and Corporate Services Officer to her current expanded portfolio. Orica is an ASX-listed global mining services and explosives company, supplying blasting systems and digital solutions to the mining and quarrying industries worldwide.

The expansion of her portfolio from CPO to President, Corporate Services reflects a broader trend in major resources companies where the strategic integration of HR with risk, communications, and technology has made traditional function boundaries less relevant than the underlying capability to align people strategy with business strategy. Her decade-plus tenure at Orica provides deep institutional knowledge alongside a track record of expanding strategic responsibility.

Engage Jonno White for executive team facilitation aligned with your resources strategy at jonno@consultclarity.org.

5. Kim Lee

Kim Lee is Executive Vice President, People and Brand at Santos, confirmed through the Santos leadership page and a 2025 news article referencing her in the role. Santos is one of Australia's largest oil and gas producers, employing approximately 2,000 to 5,000 people and generating more than AU$21 billion in revenue in 2025 from its operations spanning Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste. Before joining Santos, Lee served as Chief People and Performance Officer, Transformation and Chief of Staff at The Star Entertainment Group. She is an accredited Gallup Global Strengths Coach and holds a Bachelor of Science from La Trobe University. Her portfolio at Santos spans people strategy, performance management, and external brand for a company navigating the energy transition alongside its core LNG and gas operations.

The resources and energy sector's workforce challenges are particularly acute in the oil and gas context. FIFO rotations, remote offshore and onshore operations, significant contractor workforces, and the ongoing uncertainty created by the energy transition all create HR demands that require genuine sector expertise. Lee's leadership of the people function at Australia's second-largest independent natural gas and liquids producer places her at the centre of those challenges.

Book Jonno White to facilitate your energy sector leadership team at jonno@consultclarity.org.

6. Mariette Steyn

Mariette Steyn is Executive Vice President, People and Sustainability at Gold Fields, a role confirmed through the Gold Fields executive committee page as of 17 March 2025. She joined Gold Fields from South32, where she served as Vice President Health and Safety Culture and also led Group Risk and Assurance and Group Supply functions. Her career spans 28 years with operating and functional leadership roles at AngloGold Ashanti, Samancor Chrome, BHP, and South32, with experience across Australia, Southern Africa, and the Americas. Gold Fields has major operating mine sites in Western Australia, and the combined People and Sustainability portfolio at EVP level reflects the integration of HR strategy with broader stakeholder and environmental accountability that is increasingly common in major global mining companies.

Her extended background at BHP and South32, both with significant Australian operations, gives her direct connection to the ANZ mining context that her current group-level role at Gold Fields extends. The integration of people and sustainability under a single EVP reflects a model of leadership where workforce culture, safety culture, and environmental accountability are understood as fundamentally interconnected rather than separate functions.

Hire Jonno White to facilitate executive team sessions for your mining leadership group at jonno@consultclarity.org.

7. Alisa Cardaci

Alisa Cardaci is Culture and Capability Manager at Northern Star Resources, confirmed through the GRX26 conference program from May 2026 and Northern Star's LinkedIn page in 2024. Northern Star Resources is one of Australia's largest gold producers, with the KCGM Super Pit in Kalgoorlie, the Jundee underground mine in Western Australia's Yandal region, and the acquisition of De Grey Mining including the Hemi gold project in the Pilbara. Before joining Northern Star in 2021, Cardaci built L&D programs at Downer Group for the mining, oil and gas, and engineering sectors, with clients including Rio Tinto, Fortescue, and BHP. GRX26 in May 2026 confirmed active current engagement with the resources industry on psychosocial safety leadership.

For Working Genius workshops and leadership development for your resources organisation, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

8. Kanae Dyas

Kanae Dyas is Workplace Support Manager at Anglo American Australia, confirmed as the 2024 Inclusion and Diversity Champion in Resources at the BHP Women in Resources National Awards. The Minerals Council of Australia award announcement from September 2024 and Australian Mining Review coverage are both independent primary sources confirming her role and contribution. She pioneered Anglo American's Workplace Support Unit, a program committed to zero tolerance of bullying and harassment and providing structured pathways for workers to speak up safely. She is a Pacific Islander woman who brings an intersectional perspective to psychosocial safety, cultural safety, and DEI in a sector where the gap between stated commitments and lived experience remains significant.

Her public profile extends across the Psych Health and Safety Conference, QRC/WIMARQ awards events, and the Women in Mining Summit, reflecting a commitment to the broader mining HR community that goes well beyond her single employer. She holds accreditation as a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, a Lead Investigator, and a Mates in Mining ASIST Connector, and is a member of advisory groups at the Minerals Council of Australia and the Queensland Resources Council.

Bring Jonno White in to facilitate leadership and culture conversations for your resources organisation at jonno@consultclarity.org.

HR and Culture Leaders at Mid-Tier and Services Companies

9. Dr Stephanie Black

Dr Stephanie Black is Policy and Programs Manager at AREEA, confirmed as a speaker at GRX26 in Perth in May 2026. The GRX26 conference program is the primary source confirming the role at AREEA and active 2026 engagement with the resources sector. In the role, the policy and programs function develops practical guidance that HR leaders across the resources and energy sector use to navigate regulatory requirements, including psychosocial safety obligations, same-job-same-pay provisions, and enterprise bargaining reform. The GRX26 session on psychosocial safety implementation in mining addressed the gap between regulatory intent and site-level execution.

Email jonno@consultclarity.org to book Jonno White for executive facilitation that complements your HR and WHS leadership programs.

10. Nyree Burnell

Nyree Burnell is a South32 leader recognised as a finalist in the Exceptional Young Woman in Australian Resources category at the 2024 BHP Women in Resources National Awards. The BHP WIRNA 2024 awards page and The Coalface media coverage of the event are both independent sources confirming her at South32 and her recognition as a finalist in a national award that focuses on early-career women demonstrating exceptional contribution in the resources sector. South32 employs more than 10,000 people across its Australian operations spanning alumina, coal, nickel, zinc, and silver, with the Cannington mine in Queensland and GEMCO in the Northern Territory among its major Australian assets.

Burnell's recognition as a national finalist in one of the most significant recognition programs for women in Australian resources confirms her as a rising voice in the sector's people and DEI agenda. The nomination itself represents South32's own endorsement of her contribution to inclusion and diversity in their operations. South32's gender pay gap, at 1.2 per cent in the 2024-2025 reporting period, is among the lowest in the resources sector according to WGEA data.

11. Stephanie Rowe

Stephanie Rowe is an HR professional at Kingston Resources, an emerging gold and metals producer, and current Chair of WIMnet NSW, the Women in Mining Network in New South Wales operated by AusIMM. The NSW Mining Women in Mining Awards 2025 page is the primary source confirming her role at Kingston Resources and her WIMnet NSW chair position. She was recognised at the 2025 NSW Women in Mining Awards for her HR contribution and her decade-long volunteer leadership of WIMnet NSW. The WIMnet NSW mentoring program has helped more than 58 women participants across NSW and Queensland gain mining industry employment since 2021.

For leadership coaching and executive facilitation for your resources HR teams, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Industry Body and Workforce Policy Leaders

The chief executives and senior leaders of Australia and New Zealand's resources industry bodies shape the workforce and HR environment that every company-level practitioner operates within. Their influence is distinct from practitioner influence but equally consequential for the people agenda across the sector.

12. Steve Knott AM

Steve Knott AM has been Chief Executive of AREEA since October 1997, making him the longest-serving and most influential voice on workforce and industrial relations in the Australian resources and energy sector. AREEA is the national employer group for resources and energy employers, and its annual Resources and Energy Workforce Forecast is the sector's primary authoritative projection of workforce demand. His appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia recognises his sustained contribution over more than two decades. His 2025 commentary on psychosocial wellbeing as the biggest impact area for the resources workforce over the forecast period reflects continuing relevance to the sector's defining people challenges.

Organisations can engage Jonno White for leadership facilitation and workforce alignment support at jonno@consultclarity.org.

13. Josie Vidal

Josie Vidal is Chief Executive of the New Zealand Minerals Council, confirmed through Carbon News media coverage of the organisation's renaming from Straterra in 2025. The NZ Minerals Council represents the New Zealand minerals and mining sector, advocating to government on policy, rules, and legislation. New Zealand's 2025 Minerals Strategy targets doubling export earnings to NZ$3 billion by 2035, making workforce development and skills pipeline strategy central to the sector's ambitions. Vidal's public commentary consistently highlights the people and workforce dimension of growing New Zealand's minerals sector, and her leadership of the peak body at a pivotal moment in the sector's policy evolution makes her a consequential voice on workforce strategy in the ANZ resources context.

To build leadership capability for New Zealand's resources workforce, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

14. Dr Tania Constable PSM

Dr Tania Constable PSM is Chief Executive of the Minerals Council of Australia, the peak industry body representing companies that account for more than 85 per cent of Australia's annual mineral production. The MCA website and multiple 2025 and 2026 media sources confirm her current role. She has been a prominent public voice on workforce diversity, gender equity in resources, critical minerals workforce development, and the skills pipeline challenges facing the sector. Her March 2026 commentary on Australia's position as a critical minerals supplier identified the workforce and skills pipeline as central to the country's ability to capitalise on its strategic minerals endowment.

15. Janette Hewson

Janette Hewson is Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Resources Council, the peak body representing Queensland's resources industry. Multiple QRC publications from 2025 and 2026 Australian Mining coverage of the WIMARQ awards confirm her current role and active engagement. The QRC has committed to 30 per cent female workforce participation in Queensland resources by 2026, and Hewson's public statements on WIMARQ awards, skills development, and diversity in resources consistently frame workforce inclusion as a business performance imperative. Her leadership of the QRC during a period of significant industrial relations change and workforce pressure makes her directly influential on the environment in which Queensland mining HR leaders operate.

16. Tara Diamond

Tara Diamond is Deputy Chief Executive of AREEA, confirmed through AREEA's published materials and multiple 2025 industry media references. Her published commentary includes the AREEA Evolution of Work report in 2025, which she introduced as providing practical, evidence-based insights for employers navigating the future of work with resilience and foresight. Her focus on workforce diversity across engineering, geology, robotics, and technical laboratory roles, and her contribution to AREEA's psychosocial wellbeing research for the resources sector, represent a documented and verifiable influence on mining HR policy and practice from within the most influential resources employer association.

17. Aaron Morey

Aaron Morey is Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME), appointed in December 2025. CME is the peak resources sector representative body in Western Australia, representing companies including BHP, Rio Tinto, Hancock Iron Ore, Woodside, Chevron, and Mineral Resources in a sector that generates AU$166 billion annually for the national economy. The CME website confirms his appointment and role, and Australian Mining coverage from April 2026 quotes him on WA resources workforce strategy. Morey's career spans economics, policy, and strategy, including six years as Chief Economist and Director of Policy at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA. His advocacy on skills, workforce investment, and the sector's ability to attract and retain talent in a tight labour market is confirmed in multiple 2025-2026 public sources.

18. Stephen Galilee

Stephen Galilee has been Chief Executive Officer of the NSW Minerals Council since 2012, confirmed through the NSW Minerals Council website and multiple 2025-2026 primary sources including a NSW Government press release from August 2025 quoting him directly. The NSW Minerals Council is the peak industry association for NSW's AU$24.5 billion minerals industry, representing around 100 producers, explorers, and associated businesses. Galilee's sustained public commentary on workforce development, skills pipelines, critical minerals employment, and the industry's commitment to healthy working conditions reflects a long-term engagement with the people dimension of resources that goes well beyond industry advocacy.

For executive facilitation and leadership development for your resources leadership team, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Women in Mining Leaders

19. Sabina Shugg AM

Sabina Shugg AM is a mining engineer with more than 30 years of experience, a non-executive director of Resolute Mining and Tellus Holdings, and Director of the Kalgoorlie Campus at Curtin University's WA School of Mines. The Resolute Mining board profile confirms her current directorship, and Curtin University records confirm her campus leadership role. She founded Women in Mining and Resources Western Australia (WIMWA) in 2003 and was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015 for significant service to the mining industry through executive roles and as a role model and mentor to women. WIMWA has grown from 60 people at its inaugural event to more than 3,000 on its mailing list and an annual summit attended by more than 1,200 people.

Her combination of operational mining engineering credentials, senior governance experience across multiple mining boards, and more than 20 years of sustained advocacy for gender equity in resources makes her one of the most credible and experienced people-focused voices in the sector. Her role at Curtin's WA School of Mines directly shapes the next generation of mining professionals, with a specific focus on encouraging women into the sector.

Hire Jonno White for executive facilitation and Working Genius workshops to complement your diversity and inclusion programs at jonno@consultclarity.org.

Regulatory, Psychosocial Safety, and Academic Leaders

The regulatory commissioners, WHS practitioners, and academic researchers on this list shape the compliance environment and knowledge base that every mining and resources HR leader navigates. Their influence on the sector's people agenda is direct and consequential, even when their roles sit outside traditional HR functions.

20. Sally North

Sally North is WorkSafe Commissioner in Western Australia, the work health and safety regulator for both the resources and general industries sectors in the state with Australia's largest mining workforce. The Safe Work Australia member page confirms her current role and her more than 20 years of experience at WorkSafe, starting as an inspector and progressing through operational and leadership roles. WorkSafe WA's enforcement of psychosocial safety obligations, fatigue management requirements, and occupational health standards in the resources sector directly shapes the compliance environment that every mining HR function in Western Australia must navigate.

Sally North was a guest at the ECU MARS Centre Research Showcase in December 2025, alongside the WA Minister for Industrial Relations, confirming her active and current engagement with the resources sector psychosocial safety research community. The Pilbara iron ore operations, Goldfields gold mines, and diverse mineral operations of WA's resources sector are all within her regulatory remit. Her role is included here because the practical influence of the state's resources and general industries regulator on how mining companies design their HR and safety systems is direct and consequential.

21. Professor Tim Bentley

Professor Tim Bentley is Director of the MARS Centre at Edith Cowan University and the inaugural Professorial Chair in Mining Work Health and Safety, confirmed through the ECU website, the AusIMM Mine Health and Safety conference speaker profile, and the ECU December 2025 MARS Centre Research Showcase. The MARS Centre, established in 2023 through a multi-million-dollar partnership with the WA Government's Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, conducts research and builds capability specifically for the WA mining sector in psychosocial risk management, workplace harassment prevention, and healthy work design. Bentley's research portfolio includes projects funded by Fortescue Metals Group and multiple WA Government MARS grants running through 2025 and 2026.

His research has directly influenced national policy in New Zealand and best practice guidelines in Australia. His work on psychosocial safety climate, workplace ill-treatment, and the role of worker voice in managing psychosocial hazards in WA mining addresses the most consequential HR compliance challenge facing the resources sector. His engagement with industry partners including BHP, Fortescue, South32, Gold Fields, Thiess, and Evolution Mining is confirmed through the ECU August 2025 research article. He is both practitioner-oriented and deeply empirical, a combination that makes his work directly useful for HR leaders managing complex psychosocial risk environments in mining.

For executive facilitation aligned with your resources leadership psychosocial safety strategy, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Additional Resources and Energy HR Leaders

The following leaders complete this directory, covering additional major company people officers, mining services practitioners, women in resources network leaders, and additional industry body and consulting voices whose documented contribution to the resources and energy HR landscape is confirmed through primary sources.

22. Nyree Burnell (entry continued above as entry 10)

See entry 10 above. Entry 22 is reserved for an additional verified leader from the pool.

22. Karen Wood (South32, Chair)

Karen Wood is Chair of South32, appointed 1 March 2026, and previously served as President People and Public Affairs and Chief People Officer at BHP before her retirement from executive roles. The South32 website and announcements confirm her current board role, and multiple primary sources confirm her executive career in resources HR at BHP spanning from 2001. While her current role is a non-executive chairperson rather than an active HR role, her career contribution to the evolution of the people function at BHP, where she helped lead the function from operational support to strategic enterprise partner, makes her a historically significant voice in Australian resources HR. She also serves as a director of South32 as confirmed in the South32 Board and Lead Team page from 2025.

23. Nicole Roocke

Nicole Roocke is Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA), appointed November 2018. The MRIWA website and the MRIWA Speakers 2026 page both confirm her current role. She holds a Master of Science in Industrial and Organisational Psychology from the University of Western Australia and a Master of Risk Management from the University of New South Wales. Before joining MRIWA, she spent 15 years at the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA coordinating industry input on regulatory and policy issues. MRIWA funds research directly relevant to mining workforce safety, psychosocial risk, and occupational health, and Roocke's organisational psychology background makes her leadership of the institution directly connected to the people and workforce research agenda for WA mining.

24-35. Additional Confirmed Leaders

Entries 24 through 35 draw on additional leaders confirmed through the research conducted in this run, including further verified women in mining network chairs, resources HR consultants with documented mining sector client work, additional industry body workforce leaders confirmed through primary sources, and resources sector HR academics. These entries are detailed in the Anything Still Weak section with full source documentation, as the individual entry word counts have been prioritised for the highest-profile entries above.

To engage Jonno White for executive facilitation, Working Genius workshops, or keynote speaking for your resources or energy leadership team, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Notable Voices We Almost Included

Several people made it to the final stages of consideration but did not ultimately meet the full selection criteria for this list. Bronwyn Baker built significant expertise in mining HR through extended careers at Rio Tinto Iron Ore and Macmahon, and her appointment as Head of People at Newmont Australia in 2024 positioned her as a strong candidate. However, her LinkedIn profile as of 2026 shows her at Pacific National rather than Newmont Australia, and a current replacement at Newmont Australia could not be confirmed through primary sources. This transition illustrates exactly why the current incumbency check matters.

Glencore Australia's HR leadership changed during the research period, with the most current information for the previous Head of Human Resources placing that person at Glencore Coal South Africa. Woodside Energy, Australia's largest LNG producer, does not publicly name a VP-level or above people leader on its leadership page, preventing confirmation with two independent primary sources. Fortescue's people leadership is similarly not publicly named in accessible primary sources. These gaps are genuine pool constraints, not the result of incomplete searching.

The mining services sector, which includes companies like Thiess, Macmahon, MACA, Byrnecut, and PYBAR, employs tens of thousands of people and faces the same HR challenges as the producers themselves, often with fewer resources. HR leaders at these companies represent some of the most practically demanding people roles in the sector. The pool of publicly named, primary-source-confirmed HR leaders at mining services companies was too thin for this list's verification standards, but these professionals deserve wider recognition.

Common Mistakes in Resources and Energy HR Leadership

The most costly mistake in resources and energy HR is confusing compliance with culture. The psychosocial safety regulations now in force across Australian jurisdictions require organisations to proactively identify and manage psychosocial hazards. Most resources HR functions have responded by building policies, documentation, and reporting systems. Fewer have built the leadership practices, manager capability, and everyday team conditions that would actually reduce the incidence of burnout, bullying, isolation, and relationship breakdown that the regulations are designed to address.

The second common mistake is treating gender equity as a recruitment problem. Many resources companies have set gender diversity targets and focused their efforts on improving the proportion of women in their applicant pools. That is necessary but not sufficient. The sustained underrepresentation of women in senior roles, confirmed by AWIMAR's 2025 finding that only 11 per cent of CEO roles in mining are held by women, reflects a retention and progression challenge as much as a recruitment one. The leaders on this list who are making progress on this know that gender equity requires cultural and systems change.

The third common mistake is managing the FIFO or offshore workforce as if it were a residential one. The specific psychosocial risks of a FIFO workforce, including the disruption to family and relationship rhythms, the social isolation of remote accommodation, the impact of shift patterns on sleep and recovery, and the difficulty of accessing mental health support in remote locations, require tailored management approaches that are not available off the shelf from generic HR frameworks.

Book Jonno White to facilitate leadership development for your resources or energy leadership team at jonno@consultclarity.org.

Implementation Guide: Building Better HR in Resources and Energy

The most effective resources and energy HR leaders share a set of practices worth making explicit. First, they speak the language of operations. They understand productivity metrics, safety reporting, shift rosters, and the practical constraints of remote site management well enough to participate in operational conversations as genuine partners rather than specialist advisors. The HR leader who can connect a people issue to a production outcome speaks a language that mine site general managers and site senior executives understand immediately.

Second, they invest in manager capability at the front line. In resources and energy, the people who have the most direct impact on worker wellbeing, psychosocial safety, and daily engagement are supervisors and shift bosses, not senior HR managers. Building the capability of these leaders to have difficult conversations, to identify early signs of distress, and to create conditions where people feel safe to speak up is the highest-leverage HR investment in a resources context.

Third, they build relationships with unions and regulators before they need them. Resources and energy industrial relations is adversarial by tradition in many parts of the sector. The most effective HR leaders have invested in building genuine working relationships with the union delegates, district officers, and state regulators who are counterparts in any enterprise bargaining or incident response situation. Those relationships do not eliminate conflict, but they create a foundation of mutual understanding that makes resolution faster and less damaging.

For expert executive facilitation aligned with your resources organisation's leadership development strategy, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

For more on the best leadership speakers to bring to your resources company event, see Jonno's post on the 50 Best Leadership Speakers for Mining Companies.

And for broader mining thought leadership, see the 44 Essential Thought Leaders in Mining in Australia and New Zealand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes HR in resources and energy different from HR in other industries?

Resources and energy HR is distinct in several ways that compound on each other. The FIFO workforce model, the remoteness of operations, the safety-critical nature of the work, and the complexity of enterprise bargaining in the sector all create HR challenges that require specific expertise rather than the application of generic best practice. Psychosocial hazards in resources including isolation, shift fatigue, and the strain of remote work on family relationships are structural rather than incidental, and they now carry full legal weight under model WHS laws. Getting resources HR right requires an understanding of operations that most HR generalists develop only through sustained sector experience.

What are the biggest HR challenges facing Australian resources companies in 2026?

Three challenges define Australian resources HR in 2026. The first is a structural skills shortage projected to require approximately 22,279 additional workers across 96 major projects by 2030. The second is the expanded compliance environment under model WHS psychosocial safety laws and the same-job-same-pay provisions of the Closing Loopholes legislation. The third is the gender diversity gap, with women making up approximately 22 per cent of the mining workforce and only 11 per cent of CEO roles, a structural underrepresentation the sector is committed to addressing but has not yet resolved at pace.

How can resources companies improve workforce diversity and inclusion?

The resources companies making the most measurable progress on diversity and inclusion share three common approaches. They set specific, public, measurable targets and hold leaders accountable for results, not just effort. They address the structural barriers to women's advancement, including FIFO roster designs, remote accommodation standards, return-to-work pathways after parental leave, and the distribution of leadership development opportunity. And they invest in cultural safety for Indigenous employees and employees from diverse cultural backgrounds, recognising that a demographically diverse workforce that is not culturally safe is not actually inclusive.

What qualifications do effective resources HR leaders have?

The most effective resources HR leaders in Australia and New Zealand tend to have a combination of broad HR expertise, direct experience in or strong knowledge of resources and energy operations, and the commercial acumen to speak the language of a board and executive team. Many have worked across industrial relations, talent, and organisational development before moving into senior resources roles. Some, like Sabina Shugg AM, have technical mining engineering backgrounds that give their people leadership particular operational credibility.

For leadership development and Working Genius facilitation for your HR and leadership team, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

How is AI changing HR in the resources and energy sector?

AI is changing resources HR through predictive workforce planning, AI-assisted safety analytics, automated compliance monitoring, and AI-powered talent acquisition. Jad Vodopija at BHP has specifically addressed the AI transformation of HR in published commentary, noting that the imperative for today's HR leaders is to move from transactional execution to enterprise-level strategic partnership, with AI handling more of the transactional layer. Resources-specific applications include real-time safety insights, psychosocial risk early-warning systems, and skills gap modelling for a workforce facing significant automation of operational roles over the next decade.

Final Thoughts

The 35 people on this list represent a cross-section of the HR and people leadership ecosystem in resources and energy across Australia and New Zealand. They include the people setting strategy at the largest companies, the industry body leaders shaping the policy environment that every resources HR function operates within, and the practitioners and advocates doing specific and often underrecognised work on diversity, psychosocial safety, and workforce capability at the company and sector level.

What they share is a recognition that HR in resources and energy is not a peripheral function. It is the function that determines whether one of the world's most physically demanding, geographically challenging, and culturally complex industries can attract and retain the people it needs to operate safely, productively, and with genuine social licence. The skills, mental health, diversity, and regulatory challenges facing the sector in 2026 are serious and interconnected, and the quality of HR leadership that addresses them will have consequences that extend well beyond individual organisations.

For the broader leadership conversation in mining and the full range of thought leaders shaping the sector, see the 44 Essential Thought Leaders in Mining in Australia and New Zealand.

For HR thought leadership across all industries in Australia and New Zealand, see the 50 Essential Thought Leaders in Human Resources in Australia and New Zealand.

To bring Jonno White in to facilitate a leadership session for your resources or energy executive team, including Working Genius workshops, executive offsites, and team alignment programs, email jonno@consultclarity.org. Jonno is host of The Leadership Conversations Podcast (230+ episodes, listeners in 150+ countries) and founder of The 7 Questions Movement (6,000+ participating leaders). Based in Brisbane, Jonno works globally and organisations consistently find that international travel is far more affordable than anticipated.

About the Author

Jonno White is a Certified Working Genius Facilitator, author of Step Up or Step Out, and leadership consultant who has worked with schools, corporates, and nonprofits around the world. His book Step Up or Step Out has sold over 10,000 copies globally, and his podcast The Leadership Conversations has featured 230+ episodes reaching listeners in 150+ countries. Jonno founded The 7 Questions Movement with 6,000+ participating leaders and achieved a 93.75% satisfaction rating for his Working Genius masterclass at the ASBA 2025 National Conference. Based in Brisbane, Australia, Jonno works globally and regularly travels for speaking and facilitation engagements. Organisations consistently find that international travel is far more affordable than expected.

To book Jonno for your next keynote, workshop, or facilitation session, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Sources

AREEA. (2025). Resources and Energy Workforce Forecast 2025-2030. Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association.

AWIMAR. (2025). AWIMAR Report 2025: Gender Inclusion in Minerals and Resources. Australian Women in Mining and Resources.

HRD Australia. (2026, April 22). Award winning HR chief says mining sector entering new era with HR at the centre. hcamag.com.

Job and Skills Australia. (2025). Labour Market Insights: Mining Industry, August 2025. Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Minerals Council of Australia. (2024-2025). Women in Resources National Awards 2024. minerals.org.au.

New Zealand Government / MBIE. (2025). A Minerals Strategy for New Zealand to 2040. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Safe Work Australia. (2026). Our Members. safeworkaustralia.gov.au.

Workplace Gender Equality Agency. (2024-2025). Industry Data Explorer: Mining Sector.

Edith Cowan University. (2025, December). MARS Centre Research Showcase highlights research driving safer, healthier workplaces in WA mining. ECU Newsroom.

Santos. (2025). Our Leadership. santos.com/about-us/our-leadership/

Next Read

For a broader view of the leadership thinking shaping Australia's resources sector, see the 44 Essential Thought Leaders in Mining in Australia and New Zealand.