About IWRMP

The International Women in Resources Mentoring Programme (IWRMP) is an annual cross-company programme established in 2018 to promote and empower women to progress their careers, overcome professional challenges and build confidence for achievement and industry leadership.

This unique 6-month, structured and results-orientated initiative is very successful, growing year on year and continuously improving with consistently excellent ratings from mentees and mentors. To date, IWRMP has facilitated the personal  and professional  growth of 528 mentees, including 74 scholars with 112 mentees based in 33 countries participating in 2024. We achieved our goal to provide mentoring to 500 female professionals ahead of our 2025 target of which we are proud.

We offer the opportunity for mentees to be matched in their native language, in addition to English.

IWRMP places a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion, aiming to reduce cross-cultural barriers by creating partnerships between skilled, driven mentees and senior industry leaders  committed to the promotion of women in mining. Mentees benefit greatly from the guidance and insight of the inspirational men and women mentoring them, who in turn expand their understanding of younger professionals’ perspectives and challenges. These individual benefits extend to positively impact participants’ teams and organisations, improving the position and opportunities of women across the mining sector.

 

IWRMP 2025

The IWRMP 2025 programme is open and the programme starts 7 April 2025 ending 21 October 2025, connecting driven mentees with senior industry leaders committed to promoting and supporting women in mining.

To register your interest, if you are an individual ensure you meet the eligibility criteria (see below) and have sponsorship from your organisation. The programme does not currently cater for students including PhD’s and people between jobs.

Corporate partners have reserved places on the programme. The remaining free places are distributed on a first come basis.

Please contact info@iwrmp.com

Programme details

IWRMP provides a high-quality framework which facilitates the mentoring relationship and allows both mentee and mentor to benefit from the experience.

IWRMP strategically aligns mentors with mentees. The structured format provides the highest level of support and regular engagement milestones, beginning with a training session and comprehensive guidance documents for mentors and mentees.

The programme usually runs from April to October. Each mentee has at least six sessions with their mentor. The programme also offers webinars on additional leadership topics and opportunities for participants to connect and network.

As mentees and mentors often hail from different places, communities and disciplines, the relationships also serve to reduce cross-cultural barriers. We ensure that women from all continents participate, including from emerging markets.

Mentee eligibility and time commitment

  • This programme is aimed at mentees with at least five years’ experience in the mining sector post qualification (ideally 10+)
  • Minimum age: 27 years
  • Open to all professions
  • IWRMP does not cater to students including PhD students

Time commitment: Mentees will be expected to dedicate quite a number of hours on top of their busy schedule and home life to focus on the programme.

  • Compulsory: initial training session, sessions with their mentor every 3-4 weeks, session preparation and follow up work
  • Optional but highly encouraged: webinars and networking opportunities, programme finale celebration

Mentor eligibility and time commitment

IWRMP mentors are senior leaders in the resources industry, inspirational men and women committed to the promotion of women in mining. Mentors play a vital role as senior role models in enhancing global retention and promotion of women in mining; they support but also push mentees beyond their expectations, sharing valuable tools and insight to help them progress on their own leadership journey.

  • At least 25 years’ work experience, with seniority and experience with mining companies/mining consultancies across all professions and industry roles
  • International work experience (ideally having lived and worked abroad)
  • Head of department, senior manager reporting to executive level/C-suite or any level above
  • A passion for giving back, and capacity for empathy, as mentees may be in challenging situations and conversations may sometimes veer into the personal and family realms

Time Commitment: Mentors commit to make themselves available to their mentee every 3 to 4 weeks for a period of 6 months, to maintain focus and momentum in the discussions

  • Compulsory: initial training session (if first time as mentor on the programme), at least 6 sessions with their mentee (12 hours)
  • Optional: additional sessions with their mentee, webinars and networking opportunities, programme finale celebration

Scholarships

Creating unique opportunities for women, including wholly or partially-funded access to pioneering initiatives such as IWRMP, is integral to IWIM’s purpose and impact.

Scholarships will be offered to women working in, with and around the mining sector, primarily in emerging markets or among disadvantaged groups, who do not have an industry sponsor and are unable to self-fund their participation in IWRMP. Applicants from emerging markets who work for large mining companies and consultancies or engineering firms can’t apply for scholarship and need to be sponsored by their employer.

IWIM’s Scholarship Committee apply a rigorous selection process and criteria including candidates’ leadership potential. If you have any questions, contact us at info@iwrmp.com ​

 

Participant Testimonials

Mentee Testimonials

“Knowing that Sherritt supports my career goals through its sponsorship is just one of the many benefits of this program. By giving me the resources and encouragement to participate, I feel recognized and valued. Not to mention, one of our senior leaders is a mentor. To me, that shows the world that Sherritt has something of value to share too and that as a company, we care about women succeeding in the industry.”

– Nancy Fedyniak, Sherritt 2019 Mentee

“The mentorship programme has offered me the opportunity to make great career improvement decisions and set achievable goals. I have also established contact with a lot of women in mining. This experience is a lifetime asset. I am very grateful for the exposure. Thank you very much organisers for such an initiative.”

– Anonymous, 2020 Mentee

“Thoroughly recommend undertaking this program. I entered this program as a mentee at a pivotal career point no longer sure of who I was and which direction I wanted to take my career after two decades in mainly operational leadership roles. The structured program and the careful mentor match allowed me to look at this
question through my own eyes and from a different direction to my career-to-date, role models and current sponsors.”

– Anonymous, 2022 Mentee

“The program offered a unique opportunity to engage with industry experts and peers, and I was eager to see how it would impact my career and personal growth. I highly recommend it to any woman in the industry looking to advance her skills and career. It’s a valuable investment in your future.​”

– Anonymous, 2024 Mentee

Mentor Testimonials

“As a mentor, what I like best about IWRMP is the connection with a younger professional in a different part of the world and learning about her daily job and career aspirations. It reinforces that although we are from different countries and different stages of our careers, our aspirations to be the best we can be, are the same. Mentoring has taught me how to reach out and guide other mining career women to achieve more than they are currently thinking they can achieve.”

– Anonymous 2020 Mentor

 “I really enjoyed being part of this work and felt like I could share actionable ideas that my mentee adapted and used. I also took so much away from the discussion in understanding how a different company works, seeing my mentee develop thinking for herself and the perspective and challenges of a younger workforce. It also reinforced for me how much more work is needed in mining capability development”

– Anonymous 2020 Mentor

“The IWRMP provides an invaluable opportunity to support the growth and development of the industry’s rising stars and proven performers. I gained so much out of this program, upon reflection I think we were both mentors and mentees!”

– Anonymous, 2022 Mentor

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the IWIM 2024 Mentor Program. It has been very well organized and there are a lot of very useful tools available to both mentees and mentors. I encourage women in the mining industry to investigate the program as it provides the mentees a great opportunity to develop a career plan and grow.​”

– Anonymous, 2024 Mentor

 

Sponsor Testimonial