Pilbara rail supervisor a national Women in Resources winner

A Rio Tinto employee of more than 13 years has been recognised as the best operator in the country at the 2019 Women in Resources National Awards.

Donna Stace works as a maintenance supervisor in Rio Tinto’s railway division and on September 12 she was announced as the worthy recipient of the outstanding tradeswoman, operator or technician award at a ceremony in Sydney.

Ms Stace said to receive recognition for work she had been doing for a long time was great motivation to keep going.

“After taking out the State award I was over the moon to receive recognition for the work I’d been doing, and to carry that on into the national space was fabulous,” she said.

In her role, Ms Stace manages a team of skilled and semi-skilled workers who are responsible for the production and maintenance of the machine shop.

She is also responsible for the profiling and re-manufacturing of wheel sets for the railway.

Rio Tinto rail, port and core services managing director Ivan Vella said Ms Stace was an incredibly passionate and valued member of the team and was making a real difference in the business.

“She’s a strong advocate for women in trades and is very enthusiastic about encouraging the next generation to explore career opportunities in our industry,” he said.

“She’s a huge asset for Rio Tinto so it’s very exciting for the team to see her work in this area over many years being recognised outside the business, and we are all very proud of her.”