Women in Metals and Mining

Deshnee Naidoo

Former senior Vedanta executive

and CEO of Vedanta Zinc International

Deshnee Naidoo started her mining career at Anglo American Platinum in 1998 where she built her career, holding a range of positions. She was appointed CFO of Anglo American Thermal Coal in 2011, where she managed thermal coal and manganese, across three geographies – South Africa, South America and Australia. Naidoo was appointed CEO of Vedanta Zinc International in 2014, with responsibility for Vedanta Zinc International operations in Africa and Europe, and copper mines in Australia. In May 2018, Naidoo was appointed to the board of the Minerals Council South Africa – at that point the only woman in South African mining to fill this position. She left Vedanta in May 2020.

As a woman in a historically male-dominated industry, what hurdles did you have to overcome in order to reach to the top? Did you have any role models that kept you going in tough times?

The hurdles were multi-fold and across both work and society/community. At various stages during my career path I was overlooked for promotions and training, and experienced pay-gap discrepancies and inadequate maternity benefits. Generally having to work harder to maintain my seat at the table and be counted. Given South Africa's transition to liberation during the early part of my career, I also had to deal with racial discrimination – being designated as a previously disadvantaged person in regulation was disadvantageous at times as there was the perception that my opportunities were "given" and not "earned". This created a dichotomy with the traditional hurdles.

In the community, I was judged for not apportioning sufficient time to my children, their school extra-curricular activities etc, and I once was asked why I had a "daddy's job"! During tough times, it was my network of support that got me through – my husband was my biggest supporter, followed by our parents and colleagues in and outside of work. Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American was a big inspiration – I worked closely with her and learnt a lot on how she integrated her work and family life.

Do think you that the industry, across the world, is doing enough to cultivate talented women and help them advance their careers?

No. Whilst I recognise the efforts, more needs to be done. We must look across the spectrum – from schools, universities, entry-level positions through to the boardroom, and develop more comprehensive strategies for the education/awareness of the industry, attraction, retention and advancement of women. We must make mining more adaptable for women – make it safer (sexual harassment continues to be a significant threat), more adaptable tools and machinery for female physiology etc. Leadership commitment must be clear and we need to hold leaders to account – more transparency in reporting is required. We must have comprehensive policies (recruitment, development, compensation and benefits, sexual harassment, adaptable working arrangements etc.) and ensure consistent application.

Don't box your expectations – think big and be open to career risk-taking. Don't be constrained by the past roles that women occupied. Create both your business and personal support networks early on. On a personal note, I opted to study chemical engineering because of my passion for mathematics and science. I stayed in mining because I believe in the impact of responsible mining and found purpose in the difference I could drive.

What advice would you give a woman entering the industry today?

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