How Helen Wood turned an eight year gap into fifteen years in geology

Fifteen years in, an Underground Geology Specialist at AngloGold Ashanti explains why she stayed long term.

Overview 

• Helen Wood is a Specialist in Underground Geology at AngloGold Ashanti Australia, with 15 years in the industry.
• She’s rarely been the only woman in the room in mining, though leadership remains slower to change than other departments.
• Role variety, including joining a new department as a founding team member and an overseas transfer to Africa, is what’s kept her at the company.
• Her advice to women considering geology: get the degree, chase a get vacation experience, and get to industry conferences.

Helen Wood was the only female in her physics class at high school. Same for woodworking and electronics. By the time she finished school, being the only woman in the room felt normal. When she moved into mining, that changed. Fifteen years later, as a Specialist in Underground Geology at AngloGold Ashanti Australia, she’s rarely the only woman in the room at all. Men still outnumber women on site, but women, she says, are spread across almost every department. The gap that’s taken longer to close is management.

The one gap that’s taken longer to close

Helen’s experience of male-dominated spaces started well before she had a career. She was the only woman across three subjects in high school, so by the time she entered mining, working mostly alongside men wasn’t new to her. She says:

“When I got into mining, I very rarely found myself being the only female in the room. There are definitely more males on site, but when I entered the industry there were women in many different departments.”

The one gap she noticed over time was leadership. Few women held management roles when she started. That’s shifted, though it would be good to see it shift further.

Her experience overall has been positive. There have been occasional moments she didn’t feel treated with the respect she deserved, but she says those have been few and far between.

Why range kept her at AngloGold Ashanti

Ask Helen what convinced her AngloGold Ashanti was the right company for her long term, and it isn’t one big moment. It’s the range of work she’s been able to do.

Over 15 years, she’s moved between different geology roles, joined the Emergency Response Team, and transferred between sites.  She was brought in as a founding member of a new Underground Geology team, formed as one of AngloGold Ashanti’s sites began underground operations, working alongside colleagues and global technical groups who helped establish the systems and processes the team still uses today. Most recently, she took on a role overseas, in Africa, something she’d told the company she wanted early in her career.

“I was able to transfer between different Geology roles, join the Emergency Response Team and transfer between sites,” Helen says. “I was given the opportunity to start the UG Geology department at one of our mine sites in Australia and most recently was given the opportunity to work at one of our mine sites in Africa. Working overseas was something that I had expressed interest in from very early on.”

Training the next generation of geologists

These days, Helen’s favourite part of the role isn’t the variety, it’s what she does with the experience she’s built. 

“Being able to pass my knowledge onto younger geologists and help with their development is what I enjoy most about my current role.”

It’s a natural next chapter for someone who’s moved through nearly every part of the business over 15 years, and who plans to stay in the industry for a lot longer yet.

Her advice for women considering geology

A geology degree is the starting point, Helen says, so the first step is a science degree at university. From there, she points women towards vacation work with major mining companies.

“Vacation work offers real-world experience that you just cannot get while studying,” she says. “It may also help get a foot in the door.”

Conferences and industry events are worth the time too, she adds, both for learning about new mining practices and for building a network before you’ve even started applying for jobs. 

For anyone eyeing a switch into mining from a different career altogether, Helen’s advice is simple: 

“Work out what you want to do, then study towards it. A degree, diploma or certificate can often be done online, so you can keep working while you study. Expect some rejections along the way. But in the end, all it takes is one yes,” she says.

What she’d tell her younger self

Helen took an eight-year gap after school before settling on geology, so her teenage self would be surprised by where she ended up. When asked what she’d say back: 

“Keep doing what you’re doing.” It led, in her words, to an amazing life.

Fifteen years in, Helen is still working in an industry she plans to stay in for many more years. For her, that’s come down to a company willing to move her between roles, sites, and eventually countries, rather than keeping her in one lane.