Nexa signs a letter of commitment for the inclusion of women and incentive of gender equity in mining

Project in the city of Aripuanã (MT) aims at having 50% women working in the project’s operation

Nexa Resources has just signed a letter of commitment for the inclusion of women in mining. The document signed by the CEO, Tito Martins, integrates the company into the initiative led by Brazil Women in Mining (WIM Brazil) and promoted by the Brazilian Institute of Mining (Ibram). The inclusion of Nexa in WIM Brazil took place this week during the largest mining event in the world, the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), held in Toronto.

The Brazil Women in Mining plan consists of a strategic methodology to assist the Brazilian industry in carrying out meaningful actions to actively include more women at every level and workspace, mainly in leadership roles. “Nexa joining the Brazil WIN initiative reinforces the enterprise’s commitment to being a company that’s increasingly more plural, and that values diversity and inclusion in the work environment.  The career evolution of women at Nexa is a priority. That’s why we have been working so that there are female profiles in all of our selection processes: 56% of the positions that were opened at Nexa, in both Brazil and Peru, were filled by women”, states Gustavo Cicilini, Vice-President of Human Resources.

Another example of Nexa’s commitment to advancing female inclusion in mining is the Ariupuanã Project, which is under construction in the northwest of the state of Mato Grosso (MT) and expected to start operating in 2021. In partnership with Senai-MT, Nexa has been developing the Professional Training Program in order to train people from the region for the labor market in general. Out of the 500 positions on offer, 54% were filled by women.

Josiane Seixas, a Mine Planning Manager from the Aripuanã, is one of the female leaders who is working on the project’s construction. Graduated in Mine Engineering and with over 15 years working in mining, she assesses that the sector is increasingly more open to the female workforce, including in leadership roles. “The scenario has changed throughout the years and it’s an achievement for all of the market, not only for mining. Being a women doesn’t stop me from doing my job”, she states.

Next week, the one in which International Women’s Day is celebrated, Nexa will start working with its affinity groups on the topic of women. The meetings will put forward actions to boost female representativity in high and mid-level roles, foster the career development of the women in the company and implement the actions proposed by the Women in Mining plan. Furthermore, within our work of building a more plural environment at Nexa, we’ll also work on the topics of Ethnicity, LGBTQI+, disabled people and multi-generations. For these subject matters, actions that arise from the inputs that come about in the affinity groups will be developed.