Lalao Evelyne Ranjivaharimanana

I am passionate about mineral processing and extractive metallurgy, which are subjects that I studied in the Materials Science department as part of my engineering degree. I always wanted to work for a company that required engineers and a mining company was perfect for me.

At the beginning of my career, I applied for every opportunity to gain industrial experience but I was looking out for a position in a mining company. After graduation, I worked in fields which were different from mining, namely food science and chemicals industry. During that time, I kept on applying for positions at different mining companies.

I joined Ambatovy Joint Venture in September 2013 as a Process Technician at the Pressure Acid Leach area. In 2016, I was transferred to the refinery area to support the operation as a process engineer. In 2018, I applied as Area Process Safety Engineer and was selected for the position.

My role is to identify process hazards when any process change takes place, assess associated risks, and develop control measures to prevent incidents or accidents. I also provide support to the operation by assisting in incident investigations.

As a woman, it is little bit difficult to persuade the team when we have to give instructions.

In my company, I do not notice any gender discrimination during the recruitment process. Everyone is treated fairly and the focus of the assessment is on how the candidates’ skills and abilities match the criteria required for the position.

Women have the same chance to be hired as men. In my department, the numbers of women and men are almost the same. Also in my company, there are many women who lead departments.

Yes, at the beginning I was trained by some of my colleagues.

The challenge is more on the physical work. For example, if you have to climb to the top of a piece of equipment or enter a confined space, you should do it like a man. So, you have to adapt yourself for these types of activities.

Gaining new experiences every day when performing engineering design, safety reviews, or incident investigations. Working with different people coming from different nations with different skills, knowledge, and experiences..

I have recently started the new career of Process Safety Engineer, so I would like to become more involved in the process safety tasks and become an expert in this area. I also plan to follow online courses and obtain professional certification.

When my manager told me about this interview of woman in mining, only then did I become aware of the existence of this group. So, I started to read some profiles in “100 Global Inspirational Woman in Mining” and I saw successful women from different companies in high level positions. That really inspired me to dig deeper into this area. So this group could really help to make the mining sector more attractive to women.

-Have confidence in your skills and continue to challenge yourself to become better than the person you were yesterday.

-Do not be afraid of taking more responsibility.

-Set a goal and make a plan to achieve it and you will see that you will overcome any obstacle.

Managing work/life balance is a big challenge for all women. Despite their work, every woman should take care of their home. For me, my challenge is that my professional life does not affect my family life or vice versa. So I make a weekly plan for my home tasks and for tasks that I can perform during my day off. Before going to work in the morning I ensure that everything is good at home.

At work, I work within my working time and sometimes if I have to extend one or two hours to finish an important task I stay. Apart from my normal vacation, I only take leave in an emergency situation.

I enjoy doing nature discovery.