Challenging the status quo: An interview with Jamile Cruz, founder of I&D 101

Jamile Cruz (JC) is a recognized, award-winning industry leader. Her passion for empowering people and driving equity and inclusion led her to create I&D 101, with the goal of creating inclusive spaces that support all talent.

Recently in 2022, Jamile has been recognized in Women in Mining UK’s “100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining (WIM100),” which is an initiative that celebrates women who have made inspiring contributions towards a stronger, safer, and more sustainable mining industry during her extensive volunteer experience including her roles as founding director of Women in Mining Brasil (WIM Brasil), as a former board member for Women in Mining Canada, as the board member of the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce and D&I Committee Chair.

Founded in 2018, I&D 101 is a consultancy specialized in inclusion and diversity strategies. It was created to strengthen the performance of organizations by unlocking the potential and creating spaces that are inclusive to the participation of all talent, setting new trajectories for innovation and value creation. The company aligns the diversity strategy with business goals and works to activate organizational leaders to shape inclusive cultures that enable superior business results. Although Jamile has recently moved to a strategic role with Rio Tinto, I&D 101 continues to deliver its vision supporting multiple organizations under new leadership.

With International Women’s Day (IWD) approaching on Mar. 8, I had the opportunity to discuss several issues related to the role of women in mining with Jamile Cruz.

CMJ: Tell us about your background; how did you start working on diversity and gender equality?

JC: I was born in a city called São José dos Campos in São Paulo, Brazil. My dad worked, through our childhood and adolescence, as a technician in the oil and gas industry in Brazil. So, my entry into the technical world, or refinery world, was through him. The company ran summer camps during which we always had the chance to visit the refinery in my city.

Growing up in a lower middle-class family, you see engineering as a way of building the structure you need in your life, so for my dad it was always important that we studied technical courses and then that we hopefully had the opportunity to do engineering or something similar.

I studied high school mixed with a technical degree (you would start at the age of 15 and by 18, you had a profession). I studied a telecommunications course sponsored by Ericsson. They built the laboratories at school and donated the equipment, and some of the technicians and teachers worked for Ericsson. I finished my degree in electrical engineering while working as a technician for Ericsson.

After I finished engineering, I signed up for an exchange program by Hatch Canada to bring engineers from Brazil to Canada and ended up getting into mining. In mining, you learn something new daily, and I am someone who needs that excitement and needs to be learning new things.

Then, I ended up joining a fertilizers group, so I moved to Regina, Sask. for a few years. Later, there was an opportunity for me to switch to management consulting. So, I joined Accenture to work on the issues of the mining world, capital projects, and investment reviews. It was 2014 when we started discussing the theme of diversity, equality, and inclusion (DE&I). So, we sent an abstract to the 2014 CIM meeting in Vancouver, and it was accepted. From there, the conversation became part of my everyday life and soon enough I was dedicating all my time to figure out solutions to improve DE&I at organizations.

In 2020, I received the Canadian Institute of Mining Distinguished Lecturers Award in recognition of my work developing inclusive workplaces, especially in mining. In addition, I was a recipient of the 2021 Business Changemakers Awards by the Globe and Mail.

CMJ: When did you start becoming interested in inclusion and diversity training, and how did you start I&D 101?

JC: I left Accenture and started I&D 101 in the middle of 2018, so we just celebrated our fourth anniversary. I was with Accenture when I started talks around DE&I just because the topic needed to be addressed. So, I started participating more in conversations with clients and with other people to discover how they were approaching this, how they see this change, and whether they understand that this needs to be intentional, and investment needs to be there or not.

At the time, Accenture announced their goal to achieve gender balance by 2025. As a woman in a technical group at Accenture, my first question was “how?” So, we started working together on the model and how that would be possible. Meanwhile, I became close to the leadership in Canada and ended up getting the role of inclusion and diversity lead for Accenture Canada.

While doing that work for almost 1.5 years, several clients started asking questions on how we were achieving results. I proposed that we needed to do this for our clients. And it was a challenge to start a smaller market concept in a big organization. So, I decided to leave Accenture and start I&D 101. They were super supportive from the beginning. I think they understood this work needed to be done everywhere.

With a dynamic approach to mindset and behaviour change, the initial diagnostic identifies challenges, guides the co-creation of practical solutions with a focus on systems and process design, set to engage, empower, and improve organizational performance, from leadership to front-line employees.

CMJ: How did you get involved with other organizations such as Women in Mining Brasil (WIM Brasil)? Were you one of the founding members?

JC: I was one of the directors of Women in Mining (WIM) Canada for two years. WIM Canada has an amazing project in collaboration with the government of Canada outlining the action plan for inclusion of women in mining. Through Canadian Consul Eveline Coulombe, I was introduced to Andrea Rabetim, who is a leader on volunteering and intersectoral articulation at Vale, and Rinaldo Mancin, a director of sustainability at the Brazilian Mining Association (IBRAM), a national private non-profit organization that represents the companies and institutions that operate in the mining sector (like MAC in Canada), and we had a conversation about how important it would be to start a defined structure in Brazil.

So, I&D 101 was hired by IBRAM to develop the Brazilian version of an action plan in 2019, and then we launched the plan in 2020. But then through this process of getting the women to discuss the challenges and what needed to change, a lot of the women started coming to us and saying, “the brand should be Women in Mining.” In 2019, we established Women in Mining Brasil (WIM Brasil).

WIM Brasil has eight systematic strategies to advance the participation of women in the Brazilian mining industry

1 Inclusive practices for career opportunities.

2 Respectful workplaces.

3 Ability to reconcile work with personal commitments.

4 Signs and symbols of gender inclusion in the workplace culture.

5 An industry that is a magnet for talent.

6 Supplier diversity buying from women-led companies.

7 Investing in women in the communities where companies operate.

8 Developing the talent of the future – Investing in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

CMJ: Now after more than three years, do you feel that WIM Brasil is making a difference or a positive change?

JC: Yes, I believe so. I think one of the key things for me as a director is that we have pushed hard, and everybody worked together to develop an engagement plan that defined commitment from the organizations.

WIM Brasil’s value proposal is to build a new way of looking at the Brazilian mineral sector, with respect for women at all levels of the organization and in all areas of activity, encouraging inclusive and diverse work environments, and encouraging the participation of women as holders of technical expertise, operational excellence, and innovative spirit. So, the action plan is developed as eight strategies: we talk about the talent life cycle, recruitment, promotion, and retention. The plan also talks about the need for companies to invest in technical and training courses and invest in the community with the lenses of women, because that is where the growth of a community really happens. Companies need to think about innovation from the diversity perspective. The plan essentially gives the companies a framework to educate themselves on where to start. It is like, here you go; here is the step-by-step plan. We guide them through the implementation of this plan. On a yearly basis, with the support of the consulting company EY, we review the KPIs with the participating organizations and suggest changes for people to understand it better. We run a survey, and the last one had 34 companies. With the results, we are able to provide feedback on how they compare to the industry average and recommendations on the next steps. It helps to create awareness on actions that have real impact.

We are about 41 signatory companies. Women represent only 15% of the workforce in the Brazilian mining sector, according to the first WIM BRASIL Indicators report. Now, 69% of the signatories have a diversity and inclusion program and 13% of the signatories reported investing in the professionalization of this untapped talent group. I am quite proud of this project, and I do think it is making a difference.

On the website (www.wimbrasil.org), we have an annual program report (WIM Brasil Indicators), where you can see the changes applied and the type of programs that can make a difference. The WIM Brasil Indicators is the first progress report from our action plan for advancement of women in the mining industry.

The report presents performance and maturity indicators of the diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies detailed in the action plan, the results of the research carried out with the signatory companies who are implementing this plan, and good practices that demonstrate that we can indeed create a more inclusive industry. We went through the effort of searching and presenting best practices and stories that could showcase the growth and inspire other companies to take action.

I think there is an evolution. We are still talking about a group of companies that are on the top layer of mining organizations. Brazil has more than 2,000 mining corporations, and we are talking about those that have about 70% of the production. Those are large organizations with well-structured HR groups and sustainability groups that can run this kind of exercise. We keep telling them that by doing this and participating in this group, they can help the smaller organizations to figure out that they need to do and share the lessons learned and take just what works by sharing the lessons learned and applying what works based on experiences and results.

CMJ: In your opinion, what can be done to attract more women to study mining engineering and or geology and join the mining sector, and what can the mining sector do in general to attract more women?

JC: Mining tends to be a low-profile industry. Meaning, the investment in external communications can be in the lower range. We invest in sharing information with surrounding communities but not in a more global perspective. We hardly talk about mining outside of industry forums.

We could move from low to medium or high profile and be more present in the media and other multi-sector forums talking about our projects, how we operate, what mining really is/does, and inviting more people to participate instead of reacting only when something (bad) happens.

Then, unfortunately, the image associated with mining is often not the most positive. We need to reach out to the public. It is about sharing the reality. This is how many people are employed, this is how geology works, this is what the engineering work can be, these are the innovative initiatives being developed to make mining more sustainable, and these are all the other groups and professions that are part of this industry. In addition, these are all the elements in everyday life that are produced by mining.

As I mentioned before, WIM Brasil has eight systemic strategies to advance the participation of women in the Brazilian mining industry. In general, I think there are elements there that people are trying, but it needs to be a combined effort. We need to have respectful and safe workplaces. Women should be allowed to reconcile work with personal commitments. We need to start seeing signs and symbols of gender inclusion in the workplace culture. The industry should be a magnet for talent; the mining industry needs to create greater interest in the industry with women at an earlier stage in their careers, investing in women in the communities where companies operate, and investing in STEM.

Generally, mining needs rebranding. A lot of the work we do is associated with culture. You can bring more people in, you can convince them, and you can give them decent salaries. The question is “are they going to stay?” So, when we talk about women, when we talk about different underrepresented groups, they need to walk in knowing that they are safe, psychologically and physically safe, and they need to feel empowered to stay, work, and grow in one place.

In Canada, Women in Mining Canada has local branches in in Toronto, Montreal, and Yukon. This offers not only the networking aspect, but the tools for people who want to join the industry and the access to understand the realities of these work environments, as well as a potential support system that will guide them though many milestones in their careers.

At a certain point, you propose that diversity and inclusion are not problems to be solved. Business can only unlock the performance potential of a more diverse workforce by intentionally addressing diversity and inclusion as critical pieces of their business and cultural strategies.

CMJ: Do you think that the mining industry is currently presenting itself well to women?

JC: I think based on your previous question, the answer is no. There is a challenge to be addressed around culture, around the mining brand, and the explanation of what it is. There is a lot of work to be done not just for the mining industry, but also for women who want to be in mining.

I would love to see a project where the industry comes together on the rebranding, for example, and not a rebranding just for the perspective of selling a better image, but with the commitment to do the internal work around culture. I think we can quantify the challenge that is ahead of us with new licenses to operate for the next big projects. Then, the question becomes what level of effort and investment is the industry willing to put in to changing the culture? If we are proactive towards these changes, we could move more effectively and achieve great results.

CMJ: Do you think the provincial and federal governments can do more to help?

JC: I think they can support everything we discussed from involvement in education to involvement of communities and consultation.

I think there is a role to be played by the governments in terms of facilitating or creating models where there is an opportunity for everybody to participate.

The challenge we have today is that the model is focused solely on financial outcomes. We need to adjust this model, and for many organizations and investors, this is what ESG standards and measures will help to address. The outcomes will need to be more balanced.

CMJ: Now, please talk to us about the recent recognition, WIM100 UK: 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining, and what does it mean to you?

JC: WIM100 is an initiative that celebrates women who have made inspiring contributions towards a stronger, safer, and more sustainable mining industry. It is a recognition of the work many women in the mining industry have committed to execute. My name is there this year because it has been four years since we started I&D 101, six years in total with diversity and inclusion work, and almost 20 years in the mining sector being outspoken about the challenges and trying to fix it. I think I am not someone who is willing to complain without figuring out solutions.

I was one of 491 women nominated across 61 countries. The recognition is of the hard work I have been doing for more than 20 years with clients, transforming businesses into high-performing organizations, creating, and implementing strategies to reduce operational costs and achieve their business goals. It feels great to be recognized as an industry leader and for my passion for empowering people and driving equity and inclusion in the mining industry.

I believe that if you show up at a table with a challenge, then you should show up with ideas on how to deal with that challenge. I want to be someone who inspires people to come up with new ideas and to challenge the status quo. If I see something wrong, my brain starts working on how I would do that differently. What are the other alternatives?

Jamile Cruz, founder of I&D 101, holds a project management professional designation, a master’s certificate in project management, and a bachelor of engineering degree. Jamile is also the recipient of the 2021 Business Changemakers award by the Globe and Mail and the 2020 Canadian Institute of Mining distinguished lecturers award. She has 20 years of experience in transforming high-performing organizations through the creation and implementation of strategies to reduce operational costs and achieve business goals across multiple industries, including mining, design engineering, and management consulting, working directly for Hatch, Vale, and Accenture, and serving as a board member and chair of the ESG Committee for ATEX Resources, a Latin America-focused exploration company. Jamile has recently accepted a role as director of joint ventures and Brazil country manager with Rio Tinto.

---