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Angela Gu

from Retail assistant to Specialist Productivity Analysis
I improve the way we work and ensure we as a company perform to the best of our collective ability
Industry
Mining and Resources
Company
Rio Tinto
Job Level
Entry

Ask me about

  • How I knew what I wanted to do
  • What made me choose engineering
  • My experience at university

About me

  • Regional Background

I had no idea what I wanted to do when I left school. I was good at maths and science but didn’t know if I necessarily wanted to work in that area. I felt like I wanted to explore my options and see what happened. I started studying human biology and chemistry in university but then couldn’t see myself working in those areas. I found out I was good with people and really enjoyed working with people so changed to Engineering, which despite being heavy on science, there is a large element of teamwork which I enjoyed. From there, I continued to take on opportunities which came up, and allowed these opportunities to open more doors to other roles and industries which I found an interest in.

About my role

  • Confident
  • Disciplined
  • Independent
  • Passionate

Business improvement specialists work collaboratively together to understand constraints of a system and the operations, then through practical problem solving, they come up with solutions to address these issues. They help people understand how to improve the way they work in their respective areas and why making these improvements is of value and how it drives change on a business level

Education

  • Bachelor of Engineering Science and Finance
  • Master of Civil Engineering

Subjects

  • Chemistry
  • English
  • Mathematical Methods (Maths B)
  • Physics
  • Science
  • Specialist Mathematics (Maths C)

Awards

  • Rio Tinto Emerging Leaders Scholarship
  • Teach Learn Grow (TLG) Outstanding Services Award
  • UWA Diversity and Merit Award
  • UWA Excellence Award

Hobbies

  • Dancing
  • Pilates
  • Reading
  • Seeing family and friends
  • Travel
  • Volunteering

Pets

  • 1 Dog

My career journey

Curious to know how I got here? Here’s a snapshot of my career pathway.
  1. Changed degrees after 2 years at university
  2. First engineering internship
  3. First part-time corporate job
  4. Continued studying
  5. Moved to full-time work

My typical day

My employer

Rio Tinto operates in 35 countries where its 60,000 employees are working to find better ways to provide the materials the world needs. Rio’s portfolio includes iron ore, copper, aluminium and a range of other minerals and materials needed for people, communities and nations to grow and prosper, and for the world to cut carbon emissions to net zero. Continuously searching for new projects that can support the energy transition, Rio Tinto is currently exploring for 8 commodities in 17 countries. The organisation has more than 150 years of mining and processing experience guiding it’s work and today, the business relies on technology such as automation and artificial intelligence to help it run more safely, more efficiently and leave a lighter footprint.