Mr Fraser said Gold Fields had come a long way in the last 30 years, and that the company stood by its purpose to “create enduring value beyond mining.”
“There is no reason why this industry can’t continue to make massive economic and social contributions to the global world. I think this is what socially responsible miners will continue to do,” he said.
Sarah Coleman emphasised the importance of embracing new technologies while acknowledging the challenges of implementing and adopting them effectively.
“Everyone wants to transform, but no one wants to change,” she said.
“We’ve had a lot of invention, and there is a lot of invention to go, but we don’t put enough effort into getting the adoption right.”
“I did a study on one of the large automation rollouts, and they spent $350 million on the technology and $5 million on the rollout, and zero on changing the people and process side of things.”
“We have [traditionally] been able to segment the value chain in these digestible chunks, but we can optimise these further.”
“We’re heading into a world where it is cost, volume, quality, energy, emissions, water, and social – those levers then become far too great for us as humans to cognitively comprehend.”
“Technology will help us support that, but there is a balance between the technologies of the future and the adoption today.”
By 2050, Ms Cruise will likely be the only panelist still in the workforce. For young people considering a career in the gold industry, the pace at which technology is advancing creates many unknowns in terms of what skillsets will be required.
Ms Cruise emphasised the importance of adaptability and continuous learning for individuals considering careers in the gold mining industry.
“You need to be able to adapt and you need to be able to learn. What they show you at university is nothing like what it is like within the mining companies,” she said.
“I love engaging with people and being face to face. In the last 10 years, there has been so much change to online working and that is going to keep going and going, but we are actually starved for people attention and engagement.”
As millennials become the dominant generation of the workforce, Ms Cruise said there would be a much greater focus on addressing social issues, but that the fundamentals of a good worker and a good company culture remain the same.
Overall, the panelists shared an optimistic and exciting collective vision for the industry’s future, recognising the significant role of technology and the need for adaptability and skill development among future workforce generations.