Page 15 - 100 years of Anglo American

women and black South Africans, says
Holtzhausen.
“In Anglo American, I attended a number
of sessions where people were surprised [to
see a woman]. From 2006, it was totally
acceptable.”
That was when Cynthia Carroll became
not only the first female leader of Anglo
American, but also its first CEO who had
not been raised in the company – and the
first non-South African to run it since
Ernest Oppenheimer, who was a German
immigrant.
Anglo American has lost its hierarchical
bend at the top, says Holtzhausen.
“Look at the photos of the leaders at the
time. Now look at Mark [Cutifani, chief
executive]. He doesn’t always wear a suit –
he sometimes walks around in jeans.”
Nompumelelo “Mpumi” Zikalala was in
matric at Inkamana High School in Vryheid,
KwaZulu-Natal, when an Anglo American
team came around in 1995.
Today, she is senior vice-president of De
Beers’ Sightholder Sales, and a board
July Ndlovu Cornelia Holtzhausen member of De Beers Consolidated Mines.
“I did not know much about engineering,
realise you were sitting in the presence of In Anglo even though there was a coal mine nearby. I
real power. only found out way later that it was a mine
“These guys almost exuded this aura of American, I associated with Anglo American,” she says.
authority and presence that, as a young ‘‘ attended a number “I remember the team saying: ‘Mining is a
person, I wanted to have.” very difficult industry and we don’t have
Anglo American was a different of sessions where many women in mining.’
organisation then – before waves of “If you study engineering at varsity, it is
restructuring and divestments turned it into people were one of the most difficult courses to study …
a focused global mining company. surprised [to see That is what excited me, the idea of
“It has changed in two very dramatic ways, embarking on a challenging journey.”
in my view,” says Ndlovu, who rose through a woman]. From Zikalala was appointed as the first female
the ranks of the old Anglo American to 2006, it was general manager at De Beers Kimberley
become an executive in the new one. Mines and later became the general manager
“Our leadership today is focused more on totally acceptable at Voorspoed Mine before moving into the
our business. Before, it was more about CORNELIA company’s rough diamond trading division.
society. Now both matter. HOLTZHAUSEN She recalls the sharp contrast between
“I am a product of the Anglo American diamond mining and gold mining, based
that was. But I have adapted to the Anglo on her experience at Western Deep Level
American that is ... There was something No 2 plant.
unique about being in the Anglo family and, “The gold mine experience was a different
by extension, the Oppenheimer family. You experience,” she says.
felt you belonged very deeply. When Zikalala started working in the
“Most people don’t realise what it meant to American she encountered was already well mining industry, there were few women
be part of Anglo American – two or three into its transformation to a modern mining around, and those who were there tended to
generations of people who have only worked group. be in support service roles.
for one company. You go into these mines “There was a change of culture,” she says. “When I started working at Cullinan,
and people tell you about their father and “Iscor was more family oriented; Anglo although we didn’t have a lot of women in
grandfather who came before them,” says American was more businesslike.” mining, leadership was always supportive of
Ndlovu. “A lot of us are deeply scripted by On Holtzhausen’s mine, this was true. driving for inclusion.
these generations of association.” “At Thabazimbi, we had numerous families “They were also supportive in sharing
Cornelia Holtzhausen was Anglo – fathers, sons, daughters, cousins. In Iscor, learnings, and they understood what
American’s first female general manager, we had a sense that if the leadership leadership stood for in their drive for
running Anglo American subsidiary Kumba changes, everything changes. Iscor was state- inclusion.
Iron Ore’s Thabazimbi Mine until it was put owned. With Anglo American, there was a “Although we started with fewer women
on care and maintenance in 2015. Today, she drive for greater accountability and higher in mining, we now have a lot of women in
is a regional director in advisory for efficiency. It was a global company.” various areas of our business; this has
engineering consultancy Hatch, which lets Holtzhausen started at Iscor’s Thabazimbi become the new norm and there is an
this self-proclaimed “operational animal” Mine’s dense medium separation plant in ongoing concerted effort to further improve
spend her time on a variety of mines. 1995 as a trainee. When Anglo American this.
Holtzhausen’s route into Anglo American entered the picture, she was already a plant Zikalala recalls how the stop blocks used
was through acquisition when the company manager. for mining trucks at Voorspoed Mine were
took over the iron assets of Iscor Mining in Iscor was making a sincere effort to adapt initially too heavy and an engineering
2000 to create Kumba Iron Ore. The Anglo to the new dispensation by recruiting intervention was put in place to purchase
ANGLO AMERICAN 100 YEARS 15