Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your role in the company?
I have been with ME Elecmetal for almost ten years, where I am currently the HR Manager for the Grinding Media operation in Zambia. Before that, I worked for nearly a decade in the United States in the healthcare sector, and upon returning to Zambia, in human resources from a consulting perspective.
I come from a large family: we are ten siblings, and I am the ninth. I went to the United States at the age of 19, where I studied at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and later completed a Master's in Business Administration and Human Resources at Amberton University in Texas. I lived there for 17 years until I decided to return to Zambia with my husband, who is also Zambian, whom I met in the United States: we wanted our son to grow up connected to his roots and culture.
My role today encompasses all people management for the operation: from organizational structure and internal policies to union relations and the development of local teams.
What attracted you to ME Elecmetal?
I came to ME Elecmetal almost by chance: I was working as the Head of Human Resources at a German bank in Zambia when a recruitment consultant, who had seen my profile on LinkedIn, contacted me to apply for the HR Manager role in the new operation the company was setting up in Zambia. It was in 2016, and at that time the company wasn't even established in the country yet and was going to be set up in a province I had never heard of.
When I looked for more information, I discovered that the company was Chilean, with almost a hundred years of history, and that was what convinced me: if a company with such a track record was exploring this new path and building a factory from scratch in Zambia, I wanted to be part of it. It sounded like a great challenge, and I decided to take it.
How would you describe the culture at ME Elecmetal?
It is a deeply multicultural culture, and that hasn't always been easy: the beginning was not easy, especially trying to understand how things work in Zambia from the Chinese and Chilean perspectives, and vice versa. Simple things like vacation days or local holidays required a lot of conversation and patience from all parties to find common ground.
Over the years, that mix of cultures (Zambian, Chinese, and Chilean) has become one of our greatest strengths. We learned to listen to each other and to build our own way of working together, rather than imposing a single model. That ability to integrate different perspectives is, for me, one of the traits that best defines ME Elecmetal today.
What benefits do you value most about working here?
What I value most is the independence and trust the company places in the local management teams. Initially, we thought we would need a country manager for Zambia, but a year and a half into the operation, the corporate decided it wasn't necessary: the CFO, the plant director, and I had handled the work well, and things were functioning. That autonomy, with constant support from the headquarters in Chile, is a huge vote of confidence, and it drives me every day to give my best.
“Over the years, that mix of cultures (Zambian, Chinese, and Chilean) has become one of our greatest strengths. We learned to listen to each other and to build our own way of working together, rather than imposing a single model.”
Personal anecdotes about teamwork, achievements, or company events
When I was hired in 2016, there was no office or plant: they literally took me to a plot of land and told me that the plant would be built there. Before that, I traveled to China with Andrés Miquel, who was leading the nascent operation in Zambia at the time, to see how everything worked there and understand what we needed to build in the new plant. I interviewed about 50 people just to understand the different roles in the factory, and with that, I began to create the profiles for the positions we would need to hire.
I have seen this operation grow from scratch: we chose the office, and how the factory's foundations were laid, and today we have a functioning plant. I have hired every person who works here and have written every policy that governs us today. It has been a huge job, but it is a legacy I am very proud of: I always say that ME Elecmetal Zambia is like my last child.
How does your team help solve challenges in the mining industry?
Our contribution is fundamental because we are the only plant of this type in Africa; in fact, previously the grinding media was brought from China. However, over time they started applying taxes, and therefore, it was decided to build the plant that supplies different countries in Africa - like Tunisia - and it will continue to expand. It is important to highlight that, daily, we are delivering our grinding media to different countries on the continent.
What excites you most about the future of ME Elecmetal?
The role I have taken in Zambia is not the traditional Human Resources role. I have also had to take an active role in engaging with authorities and other stakeholders. In that context, I am happy to go wherever the company continues to grow.
