Embracing the contributions of women in mining, and especially those in the mining of platinum-group metals (PGMs), can offer many benefits, reports women-centric network Women in PGMs (WiPGMs) chairperson and independent precious metals consultancy Metals Focus director Wilma Swarts.

Swarts will present the fifth session on the second day of this year’s London Indaba, set to take place on June 25 and 26, at the InterContinental Park Lane Hotel, in London.

“Businesses must continuously build diverse talent with export value,” she points out, adding her presentation will provide examples from the PGM industry, where specific companies advanced, enhanced and developed new processes and technologies, owing to talent that has been nurtured and developed by the South African mining industry.

Swarts tells Mining Weekly that WiPGMs wants to create an awareness of the business benefit that companies can achieve by supporting industry initiatives, such as WiPGMs, adding that the network has already displayed a “clear vision with actionable deliverables and tangible results” since it was established in 2019.

“Developing diverse talent with global relevance is a business imperative, and importantly, this must not be viewed as a tick-box exercise.”

Are PGMs on the Way Out?

Swarts highlights that the PGMs industry is at a critical juncture, as traditional markets are shifting towards technology solutions with potentially less demand for these metals.

“Despite this, the industry remains a significant global employer across mining, processing, fabrication and trading sectors,” she notes.

In South Africa alone, PGM mining employs nearly 200 000 people, with the global fabrication industry employing three times that number, and is further supported, downstream, by many more in banking and trading associated with PGMs.

“Therefore, preserving, nurturing and growing this industry is vital.”

Further, “diverse teams bring broader ideas and perspectives, leading to better decision-making and problem-solving, demonstrating the benefits of diversity in the industry”, adds Swarts.

She highlights strategy and management consulting firm McKinsey & Company’s research, which consistently reveals that companies with diversification strategies outperform ones without such strategies.

The firm’s ‘Diversity Wins’ report of 2020 indicates that companies with greater gender and ethnic diversity are more likely to be profitable.

“Our focus is global, so we want to ensure that our Europe, the Middle East and Africa chapter is strong and relevant to not only develop skills in Africa but also connect our members in Africa with experience, skill and talent in other regions and countries,” she concludes.