International Women’s Day 2021: Meet our colleagues from the Côté Gold project

International Women's Day 2021: Meet our colleagues from the Côté Gold project

For this year's International Women's Day, IAMGOLD would like to celebrate the incredible and hardworking women that are part of our workforce. Today, we share the stories of three members of the Côté Gold project team:

Jackie Lamothe, Human Resources Manager at Côté Gold

With 20 years in the industry, and three generations behind her, it's fair to say that mining is in Jackie's blood. Jackie said she loved the pace of the industry, the variety of opportunities it offers and the mining process itself - extracting precious metals from the ground and seeing the end product. Jackie said she found working on greenfield projects and seeing a project through from feasibility to commissioning was very exciting. And Côté Gold isn't her first, Jackie also worked on Long Harbour in Newfoundland and brownfield Totten Mine in Sudbury.

'The level of energy of the teams involved with a build is contagious,' Jackie said.

Her hopes for gender inclusivity in mining are that skilled women become visible and active role models.

'Representation matters, and it is critical if we are going to attract and retain more women to help solve the challenges of supply and develop resources for future generations.'

Christian Naponse, Community Relations Coordinator at Côté Gold

Christian had her first introduction to mining more than a decade ago, when she was liaising between her First Nation community and resource companies within their territory. She enjoyed how things progressed in the industry and how First Nations could be part of the process and influence environmental protection. A highlight of her mining career so far was co-presenting Côté Gold's Socio-economic Management and Monitoring Plan with the project's First Nation partners.

'The unique approach Côté has taken to monitoring the impact of our operation on communities received a lot of interest at PDAC,' Christian said. 'It showed that other companies and communities want ideas for how to make progress and work together in a positive way.'

Christian's hopes that gender inclusion in mining extends into the hands-on trades out in the field.

'I don't believe women belong in the office and I think that is a world view that is changing.'

Natasha Valiquette, Administrative Assistant at Côté Gold

While Natasha has many years' experience in her profession, she is new to mining. After joining the Côté team five months ago she has enjoyed the variety in her work, which cuts across multiple disciplines in Côté's team. Natasha said she found working with people who were ambitious, supportive and empowering was the most exciting thing about her work so far.

'Starting in a new industry in the middle of a pandemic has its fair share of challenges,' Natasha said. 'However, joining the Côté Gold project team in the early stages of construction has allowed me to be creative, innovative and contribute to the ongoing success of the project.'

Natasha said gender diversity leads to increased creativity, innovation and collaboration, which could only benefit the industry.