Meet Kirsty Hollis, Principal Metallurgist at OceanaGold, and a trailblazer in the mining industry. With a profession spanning 35 years, Kirsty’s remarkable career is defined by groundbreaking achievements and milestones.
Kirsty studied at Waikato University and Auckland University where she was the first woman to graduate with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mineral Processing in 1988. She also holds an MBA from Deakin University.
Her profession has taken her all over the world, including Laos, Vietnam and Malaysia, providing her with experience in both technical and managerial roles.
But it wasn’t until she entered university and the workforce that she noticed she was one of the few women in the field.
“It became clear that I was an oddity. Luckily, I am smart, strong-willed, and resilient, so could meet the challenges of being a minority with a can-do attitude,” she said.
Her journey is marked by many “firsts” in the industry, including:
- First female Metallurgist hired at what is now OceanaGold’s Macraes Operation
- First female Process Manager at Waihi Gold
- First female Operations Manager at PanAust (Laos)
While “firsts” define her career, Kirsty emphasizes that she merely followed her passion for metallurgy.
“Being first wasn’t a driver for me — I’ve just followed the natural career pathway of a metallurgist. At the time, it was daunting that my successes or failures could tarnish the reputation and diminish opportunities of the women who came after me,” she added.
Driving progress through innovation
It’s clear pushing boundaries and embracing new ideas is important to Kirsty. Reflecting on her career, she loves to drive innovation through technology or operational changes to positively impact the business.
In her previous work, she led a simple change in lifter design of a SAG mill that boosted copper revenue by US$18M and increased throughput by 25%. She continues to innovate in her current role, where she introduced TekTalks, an online event for employees to hear from and chat with industry experts on topics such as geology, mining, metallurgy, sustainability, carbon reduction, AI and data mining.
“Seeing such tangible results is exhilarating. Equally rewarding is mentoring and conducting workshops for our metallurgical teams across OceanaGold,” she said. “The best thing about my career has been the opportunities that it’s given me to travel the world; experiencing different countries, cultures, and meeting amazing people along the way. I’ve also been fortunate to meet innovators who are changing the future of the industry.”
Bhuvanesh Malhotra, Executive Vice President, Chief Technical & Projects Officer at OceanaGold, praised Kirsty for her leadership and commitment to excellence that have shaped the industry.
“Kirsty can always be seen championing safe and responsible mining in her role — looking for improvement opportunities, coaching new starters and mentoring engineers. Her career journey has been very diverse which has provided her with very rich experiences, largely because of her ability to stay resilient and her can-do attitude,” he said.
Celebrating Kirsty at the Komatsu Women in Extractives 2025 Awards
This year, Kirsty was the winner of the Extractives Trailblazer Award at the Women in Extractives event in New Zealand. She was one of eight nominees in the category.
“In retrospect, every achievement has been a product of hard work. It’s also a testament to those who have supported me along the way, especially my parents and family who always encouraged me to follow my own path and not be bound to societal norms,” she said.
This award is testimony to her dedication, resilience and impact to the broader mining industry.
When asked what advice she would give to young women starting out in mining, she encouraged them to stay determined.
“Work hard, say yes to the opportunities that come along, and be kind to yourself. There will be some tough days, but the good ones will make it all worthwhile!” she said.
