- Promoting diversity with India’s 1st Women Mine Manager and India’s 1st & 2nd All Women Underground Mine Rescue Team
Udaipur, 17th June 2024: Celebrating International Day of Women in Mining, Hindustan Zinc, India’s largest and sole producer of zinc, lead, and silver, proudly highlights its significant strides in promoting gender diversity and inclusivity within the mining industry. With one of India’s largest cohorts of over 200 women engineers working in the mines, mills and smelters, the company is spearheading transformations in its operations. With around 22% gender diversity, Hindustan Zinc’s workforce includes more than 600 women employees in core operations who are making substantial contributions to the sector. This is a significant percentage as compared to its Indian peers in the core manufacturing sector and metal & mining companies. Among the many achievements, Hindustan Zinc is also home to India’s first women mine managers working in underground mines and the country’s first & second all-women underground mine rescue teams.
Diversity and inclusivity are core pillars of Hindustan Zinc’s philosophy which is embedded in the very fabric of the company ethos. With a diverse portfolio of metals catering to varied customers worldwide for sophisticated applications, the company values workforce diversity, which brings fresh perspectives, leading to robust decision-making. This is aided by Hindustan Zinc’s commitment to supporting women at every life-stage on the personal front and in the professional domain by increasing career enhancement opportunities, including night shifts, fulfilling work content, and progressive workplace policies. These initiatives have led to a significant rise in the number of women professionals choosing Hindustan Zinc for their careers in core mining functions.
Hindustan Zinc actively pursues gender parity in the metal and mining industry, ensuring equal representation and opportunities across levels. Powered by technological advancements such as Industry 4.0, digitalization, robotics, and automation, the company is eliminating manual labour, making the sector more welcoming to job seekers. Hindustan Zinc’s digital mines, featuring surface-based underground mining (tele-remote) operations, real-time analytics, and automation, offer exciting career options irrespective of gender in this rapidly evolving industry. This has resulted in more than 34% women joining Hindustan Zinc through campus recruitment drives in FY24, making Hindustan Zinc the top choice for women in mining.
Speaking on International Day of Women in Mining, Arun Misra, CEO of Hindustan Zinc, said, “It is pivotal for companies to invest in women professionals to accelerate the industry’s evolution with diverse capabilities, and perspectives for India’s robust journey of growth and development. Metals & mining is going to be intrinsic to a low-carbon future and we need to bridge the skill gap in this sector by leveraging the high-quality talent pool presented by women. Our focus is not just to upskill our employees but to create pathways for all budding and aspiring women mining engineers who wish to go beyond the ordinary.”
From the Zawarmala Mine in Rajasthan, Sandhya Rasakatla, India’s first underground woman mine manager, shared her journey: “I was always fascinated with the world of metals and mining. It is a proud feeling to be here because, as a woman, I was the first in the mining industry to get this exposure. Moreover, working with the same opportunities as our male counterparts in an environment ready to adapt, learn, and aid personal and professional development adds to it.” Nehal Solanki, first woman gold medallist in mining engineering in Rajasthan, working in the legacy Rajpura Dariba mine, added “Mining has been traditionally a male dominated field and coming from the mining rich state of Rajasthan, I was always fascinated by opportunities that mining had to offer. My initial roadblock was to overcome the traditional thinking about women who usually do not work in the mining industry and with time I applied a hands-on work approach to make my team comfortable.”
Hindustan Zinc offers a comprehensive suite of supportive workplace policies, including a spouse hiring policy, a year-long sabbatical for childcare, and leave policies prioritizing mental and physical health. Beyond policies, employees live in world-class colonies offering all modern amenities in proximity to the plants. These townships include schools, hospitals, daycare centres, creches, places of worship, sports and recreational facilities like swimming pools, golf courses, among other amenities which fosters a vibrant social life.
As an equal opportunity employer, Hindustan Zinc believes that a diverse workforce is key to high performance. This belief is reflected in their workforce, with almost 22% female representation in the executive workforce and a remarkable 54% female engineers in executive positions. Hindustan Zinc remains a frontrunner in promoting diversity across all dimensions and has set an ambitious target of achieving and maintaining 30% diversity among all executive and management roles.
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About Hindustan Zinc Limited
Hindustan Zinc Limited (BSE: 500188 and NSE: HINDZINC), a Vedanta Group company, is the world’s largest integrated zinc producer and the third-largest silver producer. The company supplies to more than 40 countries and holds a market share of about 75% of the primary zinc market in India. Hindustan Zinc has been recognized as the world’s most sustainable company in the metals and mining category for the second consecutive year by the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2024, reflecting its operational excellence, innovation, and leading ESG practices. The company also launched EcoZen, Asia’s first low carbon ‘green’ zinc brand. Produced using renewable energy, EcoZen has a carbon footprint of less than 1 tonne of carbon equivalent per tonne of zinc produced, about 75% lower than the global average. Hindustan Zinc is also a certified 2.41 times Water-Positive company and is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050 or sooner. Transforming the lives of 1.9 million people through its focused social welfare initiatives, Hindustan Zinc is among the Top 10 CSR companies in India. As an energy transition metals company, Hindustan Zinc is pivotal in providing critical metals essential for a sustainable future.
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