Ankia Roux of Pinpoint Stewards, a prominent women-owned company in South Africa, fields questions on the forthcoming 4th Annual Women & Leadership in Mining Conference and its relevance to the empowerment of women in mining.
MBA: What is the theme of the Annual Women & Leadership in Mining Conference?
AR: The theme of this year’s conference is DUE, which stands for Develop, Unite and Empower women by focusing on planning for the next five years.
MBA: We have seen many events themed around the role of women in mining. What makes the Annual Women & Leadership in Mining Conference unique?
AR: Pinpoint Stewards, a women-owned company, aims to display South Africa’s leadership across all levels, from junior to executive positions within industry.
Each year, a new panel of speakers is selected to broaden the scope of women who are profiled in the sector and to gain a well-rounded understanding of leadership, rather than highlighting only well-known and established leaders.
We believe that profiling different leaders annually not only gives them the opportunity to be noticed but also allows them to influence the lives and career paths of others hoping to follow in their footsteps.
We have a passion for young professionals, and since the inception of our annual conference four years ago, we have included between 10 and 20 postgraduate students yearly who attend and are actively introduced on the day to a potential mentor or job shadowing opportunity.
The format of our conferences encourages networking. This is done through round table seating, sit-down lunches, networking functions, and open forum discussions.
A percentage of profits is given to selected beneficiaries each year. This is based on our Christian values as an organisation to tithe.
Our delegates are also showered with a Women’s Month gift to remind them that they are celebrated within mining and should stand their ground to build equity.
MBA: We noticed your speaker list includes male leadership. Isn’t this a misnomer in a women’s conference?
AR: You cannot effect change if all parties are not included, and last year women emphasised the importance of men participating to effect change as co-workers and co-leaders. The conference is therefore aptly titled Women and Leadership in Mining.
To ensure mining becomes more inclusive for women, every effort must be made to eradicate gender bias. This can only be achieved by having men present to exchange solutions and ideas, and to gain introspection on what is shared from the podium.
MBA: Why include men? Why is it important for men to be part of the conversation?
AR: The specific topic addressed by Dr Moagi, Executive of Group Health Services from Implats, will be an overview of health and safety for women at the mine, addressing some of the biggest challenges including harassment, bullying, and victimisation.
Women and men need to co-exist in mining, and a male perspective can ensure the two worlds meet. A notable aspect is that while the conference unearths a host of strategies for the successful inclusion of more women in mining, leadership in mining is a universal topic applied by both women and men.
MBA: The conference is organised in collaboration with women empowerment partners. What specific role do they play in the conference?
AR: As defined in the dictionary, empowerment means authority or power given to someone to do something. Through empowerment partners at the conference, companies show that they do not just go alone but go as a team, investing in their women-capital. Personnel at all levels of the mine are handpicked to attend and are afforded the opportunity to share empowering talks to lead and foster growth.
MBA: What do you regard as the conference’s key milestones since its inception?
AR: Key milestones over the past four years have been using this platform to enable more women to be recognised within the sector. Media partners have stood with us since the beginning in making this happen.
I was part of hosting the first Women in Mining conferences in the year 2000. At that time, it was almost impossible to find women in the sector, maybe only in HR or finance.
Now the options are limitless. Women are found at all levels of the mine, which is encouraging to see.
A personal milestone for us is when women walk away from the two days saying it was a “life-changing” experience. We do not do it for the applause but to be part of growing women-capital and the visibility of leaders.
MBA: You have described women-capital as “the most untapped investment in the world”. In the context of the mining sector, are South African companies making the most of this untapped capital?
AR: To a degree, mining companies are including more women in their employment, which has positively impacted statistics. That being said, we need to see an acceleration in the appointment of more women at senior and executive levels.
Women have a lot to contribute, so skill them and include them to drive your overall output. It is proven that diverse teams perform better, so why not tap into that at a faster pace?
MBA: If not entirely, where could they do better? In which roles would you like to see more women participating?
AR: While the employment of women is increasing yearly, the dialogue needs to move towards the appointment of more women in C-suite positions. The lack of women at the top is concerning, and there are only a handful of women in CEO roles.
MBA: Last but not least, talk about the importance of benchmarking progress of women in mining.
AR: Women attending sometimes feel they are “alone” in facing various challenges in a male-dominated sector. But being part of the magnitude of this event, they realise they are making inroads to close the gap on gender inequality.
Benchmarking their progress and best practices against what other mines are implementing enables them to use these tools to further progress and promote inclusivity and sustainable development. Tracking key metrics helps companies assess how well they attract, retain, and promote women, and highlights areas needing improvement. This not only fosters a diverse workplace but also strengthens industry performance and its reputation for change.
Note: The 4th Annual Women & Leadership in Mining conference will take place on 27 and 28 August 2025 at Indaba Hotel Fourways, Johannesburg.
