Louise Porteus is an environment and social manager at Thor Explorations, which owns the Segilola gold mine in south-west Nigeria. She has been working at Thor for the past eight years after a colourful career in mining, energy, infrastructure and urban development projects in more than 50 countries.
Having faced what she terms “bottlenecks or blocking” during her career, Porteus now champions diversity through her work, which contributed to Thor winning an environmental, social and governance (ESG) award for labour at Mining Indaba last year. She also made the 2024 list of 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining, a biennial publication put together by advocacy group Women in Mining.
Ahead of International Women’s Day, Mining Technology asks Porteus to share her career highlights, key achievements and tips for women navigating a career in the sector. We also seek her perspective on the evolving gender diversity landscape in mining, particularly in Africa.
From town planning to mine development
“I chose my original career in town planning in Australia in the early 1980s as I enjoyed geography and history at school,” Porteus tells Mining Technology. She started out working in local government, assessing local and regional environmental plans, before moving to the UK for a similar role.
In 1991–92, Porteus took an opportunity to lead scientific diving expeditions in Belize to support the establishment of a marine reserve for a non-governmental organisation. “That got me thinking about working in developing countries and the social interaction between environment and livelihoods,” she says.
After another stint back home, Porteus returned to the UK to complete a master’s in development planning, graduating from University College London in 1996. She then transitioned to roles with British engineering companies where she could contribute socio-environmental expertise to large projects.
However, after a decade working on World Bank, Asian Development and Caribbean Development Bank infrastructure and urban development initiatives, Porteus saw that “very little actual development or impacts were realised into the poor communities such projects were aimed to help”.
So, when the opportunity came to join Thor in 2017, she “grabbed it with open arms”.
Today, Porteus’ role is diverse. Working for a small entrepreneurial mining company, rather than a bigger organisation – which she says are often “a bit bureaucratic and very male dominated” – has enabled her to carve out a space for women and champion diversity.
“One thing I am keen to do is to get over the silos that can exist in mining,” she says.
Supporting women and local communities at the Segilola project
Taking the Segilola gold project from concept design to operation within five years is something Porteus describes as “one of her greatest achievements”.
Segilola, which has an estimated resource of 517,800oz, started operating towards the end of 2021. The mine produced 98,000oz of gold in 2022, 84,500oz in 2023 and 85,000oz of gold in 2024.
Porteus has been instrumental in supporting diversity at Segilola, which the company claims is Nigeria’s “first and only large-scale commercial gold mine”.
“A couple years ago… I visited Endeavour Sabodala-Massawa mine near one of our exploration licences in Senegal, where all the truck drivers are women,” says Porteus.
“They found there are [fewer] accidents, that the trucks are better maintained and that they are not driven [as] fast, etc.”
The trip prompted Thor to launch a programme at its Segilola mine in Nigeria, which necessitated building new accommodation and setting up training for female workers. The company started out with 8% women in its workforce; Porteus has an ESG target to reach 12% of women in Thor’s workforce by 2025, which she hopes to surpass.
“It is not just about getting women to be at meetings,” Porteus says, although this is something she encourages as the only female member of Thor’s executive committee.
“Women can do lots of things on mine sites. We now have female geologists, accountants, truck drivers, etc.”
She adds that “it is particularly important for the host communities around our site that they can see there are roles for them”.
Porteus’ role also involved finalising community development agreements for the Segilola mine (which set out the benefit of the project to the host communities and are a legal requirement in Nigeria). This was an 18-month process that took place prior to construction.
Today, the vast majority – 98% of those employed – at Segilola are Nigerian nationals, with 37% recruited from local communities.
“Host communities have benefitted from scholarships to enable children from vulnerable households to stay in school, annual women and youth initiatives, and the rebuilding of schools and community buildings,” says Porteus.
These initiatives are also helping to reshape perceptions of the mining industry in Nigeria, with women, cultural leaders and communities directly benefitting from their success.
“I see this as a very important role in my career,” she says. “What I am doing at the moment [is] to make sure that that communal thinking happens; I can see the change.”
Porteus’ main inspiration is her grandfather, who left school at 14 to work in a horse stable at a coal mine. He eventually graduated from a technical college and progressed up the ranks to become a deputy mine manager.
“I have taken lessons from his life into developing countries where I work – to ensure that within mining projects we can move local workers from low-skilled to semi-skilled and beyond,” she says.
Seeking technical training to ensure upskilling is key, according to Porteus, as “even where literacy and numeracy skills may be low, ingenuity is high”.
Overcoming career ‘barriers and blockers’ as a woman in mining
Porteus’ career, which she describes as “a labyrinth rather than a ladder”, has not been easy.
“Some of the biggest challenges I have faced in my career have been smashing the glass ceilings in companies,” she says. This has included tackling discrimination on promotion and equal pay, as well as battling to attain a place at the decision-making table – and being listened to once at that table.
“I think things [with gender discrimination] have changed [for the better] a lot,” she muses, but – of course – there is still more that can be done.
The barriers women continue to face in the mining industry range from safety concerns, such as bullying and gender-based harassment, to discriminatory treatment, pay gaps and lack of support or adequate facilities. However, the industry is making concerted efforts to address these with initiatives that foster inclusion in the workplace and by advocating for sustainable practices and knowledge sharing.
Today, Porteus spends much of her time advocating for women in senior roles and giving them the confidence to speak up and be heard.
“I have been very much part of that decision-making, and I think that has been an important role in my career, but I also think it is an important role that women need to take in their careers, and particularly in mining,” she reflects.
“Some decisions I made during my career have helped me get to where I am now, on the executive committee and as a manager in a company with a West Africa reach.”
Her road to success involved taking initiative and risks which, at times, required putting herself in unfamiliar positions. “I did insist that I go overseas. I was the only woman on the team sometimes and [had to] deliver and be comfortable in different cultures,” she says.
Her advice for those working in industry? “Don’t let your own perceptions limit what you can do. Don’t be afraid to think bigger.
“Sometimes that job [you want] might not happen straight away but put yourself in a position where you can get that.”
