Celebrating women in mining | Lydia Wells

Lydia Wells, Underground Manager at Northern Star’s Jundee Operations, has had quite an unconventional start to her career in resources management.

Lydia spent more than ten years practicing finance in Hobart and Sydney capital markets, where she worked with small to mid-sized resource companies. Through this, she discovered the value and extensive opportunities that were available in mining.

“When I got a better understanding of the industry, I saw the value in geology. I made the decision to go back to university and study in this field.” Lydia said.  

Lydia went on to get her degree in Geology. She worked in this field for several years whilst studying engineering, which led to a role at Northern Star’s Pogo Gold Mine in Alaska. It’s a beautiful location, and she was lucky to experience the atmospheric Northern Lights throughout her stretch there.

Currently, Lydia works at Northern Star’s Jundee site, a narrow vein gold operation mining approximately 270 stopes, 25km of development and producing 2 million tonnes of ore per year. 

She manages a technical services team of 80 people and is passionate about fostering a great sense of community within her team, as well as promoting professional development opportunities for her team to further their career goals.

“The culture of this team is better than any team I have ever worked with. Everyone contributes and works hard, and we always celebrate our wins together,” Lydia said.

“For such a large organisation, Northern Star runs a flat structure, which gives all employees a high level of interaction with the management team. Because of the pace of the operation, we invest a lot in developing our people and keeping them engaged – there is never a dull moment!”

Lydia is also excited about the future generation that is joining the industry. She is particularly pleased with the quality of graduates Northern Star has been able to attract.

“The graduates’ overall enthusiasm for the industry and learning makes me really excited for what they can bring to the future of mining.”

Northern Star is a Major Partner for AusIMM's International Women's Day Event Series. For more inspiring stories like Lydia's, follow AusIMM on social media and the hashtag #CelebratingWomeninMining

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.

Get your tickets here.