To wrap up this week’s celebration of women’s ingenuity at BBA, we’re bringing you the perspective of Amanda Fitch, Department Manager, Mining, under the theme of diversity of thought and sustainable development.
Amanda has been working in the mining industry for 13 years, and it’s given her the opportunity to explore the full spectrum of consulting engineering, from preliminary studies to operations. She’s acquired extensive knowledge of the field through mandates that have her travelling to client sites across Canada, the United States and abroad. As a result, Amanda can share a realistic and accessible perspective on sustainable development, based on real-life project experience.
In the past few years, Amanda has observed an accelerated shift in the way the mining industry addresses sustainable development. “This shift has been going on for over 30 years, but there has been more emphasis in the last decade especially. These days, there’s momentum to create positive and sustainable change in the industry, but it’ll take a concerted effort,” says Amanda.
In fact, there’s an increasing willingness to be proactive rather than reactive, addressing the impact of a project, from the early stages of its development. There’s also a proclivity for working together and being open and transparent with all stakeholders, including local communities.
Amanda has been able to influence the course of various projects by proposing alternative solutions to achieve her clients’ sustainability goals. She explains that through multidisciplinary work and upstream thinking, a real impact can be achieved at a project’s preliminary assessment and permitting stages.
For example, in mining projects, Amanda and her team have been able to provide support in the reducingtion ofe greenhouse gas emissions by offering alternatives for equipment, methodology, the processing plant and the interconnecting infrastructure.
“It’s the sum of every action, whether small or large, by all disciplines involved, that allows the project to reach its full potential. A holistic vision and early project involvement are therefore essential. They allow us to develop infrastructures that will support the client’s goals, in terms of performance, technical considerations, social licensing, the environment and profitability. This is where my role as an engineer becomes meaningful, as it allows us to create value in the short term, but also to participate in creating the industry of tomorrow.”
Angela has been working in consulting engineering and supporting mining companies for nearly 15 years. In the past few years, she’s observed a major shift in the industry. Sustainable development is now a top priority.
“At first, the main motivation for mining companies was to meet government regulations and manage social pressures. But they gradually realized that they could also benefit from profit and performance gains.”
Throughout her career, Caroline’s mission has been to ensure that environmental and social considerations are factored into projects, while also including stakeholder interests and concerns as well as technical and economic criteria.
Caroline has been involved in a variety of industries, from mining and linear infrastructure to agriculture, and has a multidisciplinary vision of sustainable development.
We expect that there will be major opportunities to make a positive impact in the years to come, so we’ve made the energy and natural resources industry our playground.