ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI

Mike Erickson’s passion for rocks and minerals can be traced back to his childhood days, when he regularly hounded his mother to take him to the Sydney Geological and Mining Museum in every holiday break. Unfortunately geology wasn’t on offer at his high school and while he didn’t find much in the curriculum that inspired him, his friendship group at school did. It included a number of strong – and subsequently successful – women including Professor Kerryn Phelps AM. Following the careers of some of these early school friends has influenced Mike’s strong advocacy for opportunities for women and minority groups.

Since joining AngloGold Ashanti as Geology Manager at Sunrise Dam more than 20 years ago, Mike has been a passionate driver of many career opportunities for women – ensuring female representation in his senior leadership team, making part-time and flexible work options widely available and redesigning work in ways that make it easier for mothers to return to meaningful roles and progress their careers.

As he has risen through the ranks at AngloGold Ashanti, Mike has also mentored many women through Women In Mining WA and been a very visible supporter of his company’s Our Pride LGBTQI+ Ally Programme. He set a standard in 2017 by offering his speaking spot at Diggers & Dealers to a female colleague to take the podium in his place.