Vale manager awarded for supporting women in engineering

Samantha Espley, Vale's general manager of Mines & Mill Technical Services (Ontario Operations), received the 2015 Award for Support of Women in the Engineering Profession from Engineers Canada.

Espley received the national award for her achievements as an engineer and significant contributions in supporting women in the industry. The presentation was made at the Engineers Canada Awards Gala on May 21 in Calgary.

“I am humbled and grateful to Engineers Canada for recognizing me in this way,” Espley said in a press release. “I feel blessed to continue to enjoy such a fulfilling career in mining and I will continue my work to promote engineering and mining as an attractive career choice to the next generation of young Canadian women.”

Espley graduated with an engineering degree 25 years ago, and worked with Dome Limited in Northern Quebec, Denison-Potacan Potash Corporation in New Brunswick, and then moved to Falconbridge Ltd. working both in their Quebec and Sudbury operations.

Since 1990, she has worked for Vale’s Ontario Operations where she has held roles of increasing responsibility.

As General Manager of Mines & Mills Technical Services, she currently leads a multi-disciplinary group of more than 200 mining and mineral processing engineers, geologists, metallurgists, technologists and other technical staff supporting Vale’s mining and milling operations in Sudbury.

In 2013, Espley was awarded the Women in Mining (WIM) Canada National Trailblazer Award, which recognizes women who have taken personal career risks and helped to advance the careers of other women. That same year she was named one of the top 100 most influential women in mining in the world by WIM in the United Kingdom.