Marnie Finlayson

Raised in the Goldfields, Marnie’s career began on the tools, mustering sheep and shovelling ore, often as the only woman on site. That determination led her to graduate from the WA School of Mines as a minerals processing engineer. She went on to lead Rio Tinto’s Battery Materials business and now serves as a Non-Executive Director at Northern Star Resources. 

Throughout her 25-year career, Marnie has been a leading voice for women in resources. She co-chaired the Pilbara Women in Mining Network to create peer support for women in remote operations, a model that inspired similar initiatives across other regions. At Rio Tinto, she helped drive cultural reform, by supporting the implementation of recommendations from the company’s landmark workplace culture review. Marnie has been a mentor in many formal programs including Women in Mining WA (WIMWA) where she has participated since its inception in 2012. 

She currently dedicates around 20% of her time to mentoring, advocacy and public speaking, sharing her story with audiences from students to executives. She has spoken at AusIMM conferences, WIMWA Summits, and university and school forums, inspiring thousands to pursue careers in mining and leadership. Recognised among the 100 Inspirational Women in Mining, she continues to work with government, industry and education bodies to strengthen inclusion and drive cultural change.