Jaime Rivera (he/him) General Manager Mine Operations at Escondida in Chile believes inclusion and diversity are the engine that create environments where people feel respected, involved, proud and happy to be part of our company, at all levels. This is Jaime’s story. 

While I have not experienced obstacles in my career development, I am very aware that I’ve had opportunities that I’ve been able to take advantage of, that others haven’t. I’m therefore very attentive to removing any impediments or biases that could prevent people from have equal access to opportunities.  

In this company, there is a great commitment to inclusion and diversity. We’ve made significant progress on our gender balance target and as we look to sustain this into the future, we continue to think about how we redesign roles and processes, to ensure people of all backgrounds, abilities and identities can thrive in our company. 

For me, I am driven by Our Charter values, in particular the value of ‘Respect’. These values align with my personal values and have pushed me to promote inclusion and diversity in our business, across the mining industry and in my personal life. For example, my wife and I have promoted an upbringing for our two daughters and son, that is centered on equality and respect for everyone’s values, duties, and rights.

But what motivates me the most is how clear it is that inclusive and diverse environments help people reach their full potential because they feel that their different points of view and personal characteristics are valued by their leaders and team members.

If leadership teams can adequately combine diverse talent with diverse skills and experience, I believe it will strengthen our company’s ability to harness the opportunities ahead and tackle future challenges. As part of this, everyone must feel that there are opportunities for development and progression.

We must continue evolving our respectful, diverse and inclusive culture and continue to increase the representation of women. We must also advance with greater force, our diversity objectives with respect to background, ability and identity. There will be challenges ahead, but we must continue to ensure our teams think outside the box to eliminate the historical biases and paradigms that may exist.

I have no doubt this will create a legacy for future generations.