Celebrating Women in Mining | CJ Mackay

We caught up with Newmont's Senior Geotechnical Engineer, CJ Mackay, to hear about her latest acheivements. 

Hi CJ, can you tell us a bit about your role?

I am responsible for leading the geotechnical team at Newmont’s Tanami Operations, which is an underground gold mine in the Northern Territory. No two days are the same, and it is exciting to be part of the Tanami team as the mine gets deeper and expands into new ore bodies.

As well as supporting the current operation on a day-to-day basis, the geotech team is planning for the more challenging ground conditions ahead and implementing controls that will ensure safe mining into the future. My role is to support and facilitate the team in achieving this. 

What has been you greatest achievement?

My biggest achievement was stepping into my senior role and leading a team of seven engineers - which quickly doubled to fifteen.

As the only female engineer at the time, it was daunting to step into this role with some team members more experienced than myself. It has been a steep learning curve and I am challenged every day.

The geotech team is the largest team in the technical services department, and the most diverse; with six different nationalities, and a variety of ages and experiences. Developing a team with such diversity of thought and experience, helps create a cohesive and productive unit. This has been a big focus of mine and something I am very proud of.

What is the best thing about working at Newmont?

I started at Tanami Operations in 2018 as a consultant on a three month contract, and stayed for a year before swapping shirts to join the Newmont team permanently – I think that says it all!

I was pleasantly surprised at how welcoming and inclusive the Newmont team was and still is. Tanami is a melting pot of people from all over Australia and everyone on site makes an effort with each other, creating a really enjoyable culture that is unique to Newmont.

Newmont is the Principal Partner for AusIMM's International Women's Day Event Series. For more inspiring stories like CJ's, follow AusIMM on social media and the hashtag #CelebratingWomeninMining or catch up via our latest news!

Join us for our fifth national International Women's Day Event Series, 3-10 March for inspiring celebratory luncheons and workshops where we will continue the conversation on diversity and inclusion in the resources sector.

Final tickets left, get yours here.