Fortescue Metals : partners with Mentor Walks to help women take the next step in their careers

Nov 12, 2019

Fortescue Metals Group (Fortescue) has partnered with Mentor Walks to launch the successful mentoring program in Perth, providing West Australian women with the opportunity to connect with some of the State's most influential female leaders.

Launched in 2016, Mentor Walks aims to make mentoring effective and accessible to every woman across Australia by connecting participants with female leaders through an hour-long walk and talk in cities across Australia. By taking mentoring away from the office, mentees can feel inspired, gain new ideas and get a different perspective.

The inaugural Perth walk which departed from Fortescue Centre this morning was attended by Fortescue Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Gaines, Deputy Chief Executive Officer Julie Shuttleworth, Non-Executive Directors Sharon Warburton and Jenn Morris and other senior female Fortescue leaders.

Mentor Walks Perth Lead and Fortescue GM Corporate Affairs Alison Terry said the walk builds on a range of initiatives that Fortescue has already implemented to ensure as many women as possible can make a strong contribution to the Australian resources sector.

'At Fortescue, we are proud to support and encourage our female team members to reach their full potential through leadership development,' Ms Terry said.

'Mentor Walks will provide West Australian women with the opportunity to gain insights and discuss challenges with some of the State's most successful women, helping them to take the next step in their career and developing the next generation of female leaders.'

Background

Fortescue has implemented a range of practical initiatives to support women in the workplace, including childcare arrangements, paid parental leave, flexible working arrangements and a commitment to gender pay equity.

Fortescue is a member of the 30% Club in Australia, which was launched in 2015 with the primary objective of campaigning for 30 per cent women on ASX200 boards by the end of 2018.

In FY18, Fortescue was one of six Australian companies recognised by the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for supporting a gender diverse environment across the business. In 2019, Fortescue signed the global ParityPledge to interview at least one qualified woman for every executive position.