Ingenious women – Julia Gartley

This spirit of collaboration has been the common thread in my career, and I still find it at BBA every day. There are always people around to support me, to help my ideas evolve, or to suggest alternatives that I hadn't considered. It's definitely my favourite part of the job!

It was the opportunity to use my learning and experience that attracted me to my new position at BBA as Vice-President, Health, Safety and Sustainability. People want to work in places where they feel good, included and valued. For me, it's the natural continuation of all the work that's been done in health and safety over the last few decades: we take care of our physical safety, but we also need to take care of our mental and environmental health. We have this culture and awareness at BBA, and I want to maintain and promote it, especially with the publication of our very first ESG report.

This determination is also reflected in my social involvement. At @Mine Shift, I work to ensure people acquire the knowledge and skills to create safer, more inclusive and respectful workplaces in the mining industry. For example, we teach workers how to respond effectively when they witness harassment, discrimination or violence.

The generations of women engineers before my own broke the glass ceiling. Today, I believe that my women colleagues and I have the role of showing young girls that you can succeed as an engineer by being yourselves. For a long time, I tried to fit in as someone I’m not and that drained a lot of my energy. Now, I’m daring to do things that are right for me, even if they’re outside the norm.

For example, when I had my first child, I chose to work part time. Sometimes I hear, “You’re lucky to have it all.” But I often feel like I don’t have enough time to work, time to be with my children and time for myself. I think this is a challenge we all face when we try to achieve that elusive “balance.” However, I’m lucky to have been able to choose a pace that works for my family and that allows me to grow, both personally and professionally. When I look at it that way, I’m truly happy.