Anglo American today joined with the Queensland Resources Council to sponsor the official launch of the Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WIMARQ) pilot mentoring program.

Anglo American's Coal business Head Human Resources and Corporate Affairs (Australia and Canada), David Diamond, said Anglo American placed high value on the knowledge transfer and career development opportunities that could be achieved through a solid mentoring program.

"Mentoring and the process of a business leader passing on their career learnings to our next generation of mining professionals will ultimately create a higher performing organisation," David said.

"Anglo American is delighted to support WIMARQ and is proud to have three of our employees joining the program as either a mentee or mentor.

"This is the kind of opportunity where participants will develop their leadership and communication skills to help them reach senior and executive management positions," he said.

"We are very pleased with progress made to date in Australia with an increase in female representation of 32 per cent since 2010.

"We see mentoring as one way we can further improve in this area and increase the representation of women progressing to senior management positions," David said.

"Our challenge as an industry is to develop and retain talented women who have chosen the resources industry as their career path.

"As individuals we all want to grow our knowledge base and increase our capability to perform at higher levels. But the career journey can sometimes seem daunting as we move to new locations or new roles in the organisation.

"Our program is designed to support people and help them approach these challenges with confidence.

"I encourage all participants completing the WIMARQ program to embrace this experience as the results will be significant, long lasting benefits for mentees, mentors, line managers and the companies they are employed by," David said.

ENDS