Portrait of Chinese Women in Mining (1): CEO of a Chrome mine in South Africa

By Pauline Lu

My first encounter with Diana was online, during the pandemic in 2020, when I organized an international leadership summit for mining executives.

The reason behind organizing the event was, with a decade of experience in the mining industry and having weathered two industry downturns, witnessing the ebb and flow firsthand, I observed the increasing number of Chinese companies investing overseas. Capital and technology had ventured out, but I believed that "what Chinese mining industry lacks from a global perspective is not capital and technology, but executives with international vision and cross-cultural management capabilities, as well as leaders with global influence."

The executives invited to the summit came from mining group headquarters or overseas mines, and shareholders of private equity firms. Due to the invitation only approach, the event was limited to 30 participants.

Diana was one of the few women among the participants. In fact, among Chinese CEOs of mining companies globally, the number of women can be counted on one hand. And as for those based at mine sites, she would be the only one.

Even through the screen, I could still keenly feel Diana's sincere, humble and down-to-earth style. As the CEO of a listed company, Diana shared the various challenges faced in maintaining production at their mine in South African during the pandemic. Despite facing situations where death and widespread infection occurred at the mines, with an uncertain outlook on the pandemic, she remained working at the mine, fighting on the front lines of pandemic prevention and production.

Later, I learned that the refined ore output delivered by the mine where she worked accounted for 7% of China's total imports from South Africa that year, making it one of the top mines in terms of single mine output.

Over two years later, I met Diana at an event in Vancouver, and we felt an instant connection. Socially she is natural and gracious, without any pretense; her style is simple, transparent and sincere. She has a charisma that always makes those around her feel comfortable.

A few months later, she told me that she had joined another project, still in South Africa and still as CEO.

This mine is in a remote location, about 500 kilometers from Johannesburg, a five-hour drive. She and over twenty other Chinese experts and managers live in a small town half an hour's drive from the mine.

They would leave at 6am and the busy day at the mine would start at 6:30am.

After November, the mine entered a period of high incidence of safety accidents, known in the industry as the “Silly Season”. Last year, Diana requested the safety and environmental department to formulate a series of measures to deal with the “Silly Season”, urging all employees to observe “Near Misses” around them and report them to the weekly safety meeting, rewarding individuals and teams with the most reports. She said she was happy that last year's “Silly Season” passed safely, safety is the top priority each day at the mine, with zero tolerance for errors.

Diana insists on going underground every week. She said the job of a mine CEO couldn't just be done well by sitting in the office listening to people who report to her and attending video conferences. "Diligence is needed both mentally and physically."

After finishing work for the day, she would return to her residence around 7pm, repeating this schedule at least six days a week. Often, she was so busy that she didn't even have time for lunch.

This kind of routine would continue for three months, followed by three weeks of rest at home. She said it should be a break, but she couldn't remember a day when she didn't have contact with the site; her mind was always on that “hot land” in South Africa.

Giving back to the community where the mining company is located is a legitimate social responsibility to fulfill. In the social labour plan of the mine she works for, initiatives such as drilling wells and repairing soccer fields for the benefit of the local community are included. Rational coordination and support with strategic responses to requests are important.

When Diana first joined the mine, the team consisted of only 30 people, and the mine had been in a state of maintenance for over seven years. Ten months later, underground mining production had resumed, with over 300 employees, 80% of whom are locals.

Bringing the mine back on track for development in a short period of time meant completing a large amount of work in an extremely efficient way, which was also an opportunity to demonstrate good leadership.

For a leader without a technical background, leading various department managers and professionals – including mining, engineering, tailings treatment, ore dressing, technical services, as well as other functional departments including finance, human resources, and procurement – sounds like a movie: Mission: Impossible.

How to turn it into Mission: Possible?

She said it required drive and belief to complete the project, focusing on the main contradictions, and then integrating advantages, such as bringing advanced Chinese processing plant technology and equipment to the mine in South Africa.

I asked her, "Apart from valuing your rich team management experience and relevant achievements in the industry, what makes investors/shareholders trust you for this leadership position?"

She said it is a sense of responsibility. She is a self-driven person. A sense of responsibility is innate in her DNA.

How do your team members perceive your leadership style?

"They have a lot of trust in me because I am willing to listen and absorb others' correct opinions. They say I give everyone hope and a sense of direction."

In this mine with 300 people, the CEO's presence is everywhere. If someone is capable but not suitable for their position, or if their performance is poor, she won't hesitate to dismiss them.

Would you criticize your subordinates?

"If it is indeed their problem, I will objectively point it out without mixing personal emotions, making them aware of where they need to change. I will criticize, but I won't insult people."

Working in mines in harsh regions poses challenges for women in terms of health and appearance. Her skin and hair deteriorated due to a lack of care (inappropriate conditions and insufficient time), but she doesn’t mind these things.

For Diana, work keeps people passionate and keeps their mind and soul young.

She sincerely suggests Chinese women, especially those over 50, to try to maintain their work life, because this is a very good stage of life; with fewer family burdens, and the accumulation of experience, knowledge, and skills reaching its peak. High levels of focus and mind maturity can be advantageous guarantees for high-quality work.

Ten years of forging a sword, thirty years of honing in the workplace; if a professional simply enjoys life doing nothing after turning into 50, it would be regrettable and wasteful for both individuals and society.

She believes in and advocates lifelong learning. This may sound simple, but how to learn and to what extent is where the true skill lies.

Diana did not pursue an MBA or EMBA, nor did she have many qualifications on her resume. She said it was regrettable but also not regrettable because she never stopped learning.

Especially in the practical work, through self-study, humble inquiry and the courage to try things out, she accumulated knowledge and developed skills.

In various internal meetings, whether technical, financial, legal, or of human resources, her requirement was for attendees to come with well-prepared minds and notes, with good knowledge.

She requests this from her colleagues, and her demands on herself are even higher. She would carefully review due diligence reports, feasibility studies, financial reports, engineering plans, social labour plans... and raise opinions and questions, engaging in effective communication with specific responsible persons, and promoting operational optimization.?

Graduating from Beijing Foreign Studies University in the early 1990s, Diana stood out because of her outstanding language skills and a sustained ability for learning. After two years of work, she successfully obtained a position as a Commodities Trader at Glencore in Beijing. During her tenure, she got an opportunity to work at headquarter in Switzerland and London, which broadened her horizons and perspectives. She said she was lucky to witness a good era; the rapid economic development gave many opportunities to young people at the time, "the time made us."

Despite several job changes, she always stayed in the commodity trading and mining industry, holding leadership positions for many years.

Diana is also the mother of two children, and she did not let family life become an obstacle to her career.

A few months after the birth of her first child, she founded her own international trading company in Vancouver. She was grateful to her mother for helping her take care of her child. She travelled alone in North America, becoming adept at flying and driving. She travelled to over 30 states in the USA, renting a car after landing and going to visit suppliers.

In the late 1990s, when the internet was not fully developed, there was no navigation in the rented car. Every night, she marked the places she would go on the map for the next day, making specific routes into small pieces of paper and sticking them on the edge of the steering wheel.

Such business trips sometimes lasted for a month. Looking back, she laughed and said she had been very brave to drive at that time, and she felt scared when she thought about it now. Courage is one of her obvious traits.

There are many chapters and highlights worth writing about Diana, but unfortunately I can’t list them all here.

I initiated and organized a "Chinese Women in Mining" forum (held on March 8, 2024).

As one of the three main speakers, Diana shared her unique insights on the qualities needed for a long-term development in the workplace, the advantages of women, female leadership, and the balance between work and family. It has brought inspiration and enlightenment to many professionals in the mining industry.

She said that the event has triggered subsequent collective thinking and intelligence, bringing progress in awareness and concepts; even if it's just a small step, it's very meaningful.

With her heart and mind in the mine, she was ending her vacation early to return to South Africa, rushing to the front line: "We are going to put the new profess plant into production in the first half of this year." With a strong sense of mission and wishes, she continues to move forward bravely.

Diana is an extraordinary female leader, but she believes in " What's past is prologue".

We also believe in "all futures are worth looking forward to."