With a passion and major skill for mining jobs in Africa, I Introduce to you Vivienne Gower, the Managing Director (MD) of CA Mining. Her role is to manage the team and their recruitment strategies concerning the opportunities of mining jobs in Africa . Here she talks about her humble beginnings as a recruitment consultant to her transition as MD of CA Mining.
In what year did you start working at CA Mining and what position did you hold? I joined CA Global in 2008 and was a consultant in the Hospitality team. Shortly after that I was transferred to the mining team where my focus moved towards the opportunities in the market concerning mining jobs in Africa. In 2011 the mining team became its own company called CA Mining, and is comprised of a team that has extensive knowledge for the recruitment market of mining jobs in Africa.
Your current role is MD of CA Mining and you primarily focus on mining jobs in Africa – how has the transition been for you and what were the difficulties you faced? I have been part of the company since 2008 and as such have seen 3 market dips in the past 6 years. What goes down must come back up! And when the industry is facing good commodity prices and clients are taking projects forward, the demand for skills is great and the increase of mining jobs in Africa is evident. The difficulty is not sourcing out mining jobs in Africa per se, but rather having to manage candidates expectations of salaries in such a turnaround phase and to manage clients demands for certain types of skills.
In your experience, how have the trends concerning mining jobs in Africa changed from when you started at CA Mining to now? When I initially joined there were plenty of companies exploring for mining jobs in Africa. We couldn’t keep up with the demand for exploration geologists, but this has tapered down with less companies exploring due to the current situation. The one trend that has remained however is the need for qualified professionals who have experience working in West Africa, with the ability to speak French.
Since you no longer recruit for the market concerned with mining jobs in Africa, what is the key focus of your day-to-day comings and goings? On the client side of things my focus is to build and maintain a strong relationship so that I can be their preferred recruiter for mining jobs in Africa. This entails continuing to manage client relationships, building further client relationships and ensuring I am on track with prospective projects taking place. I also ensure our team is focused and delivering according to our client’s needs and providing them with support where they require it. Strategy of how CA Mining will be developing further is also of a big focus so that we can provide our candidates with the best mining jobs in Africa.
What has been the most challenging factor concerning mining jobs in Africa that you and your team have had to overcome ? There haven’t been any major challenges, but there are always certain obstacles we need to overcome. The market concerning mining jobs in Africa is so diverse, and therefore they vary according to the time of year and what the industry is dictating. One challenge is however having to compete against other agencies that do not perhaps work according to our standards and ethics. We, as a company however take mining jobs in Africa seriously and would never take any shortcuts for financial gain that would compromise our integrity as a company.
In closing, is there anything you’d like to say to potential candidates or clients who need recruitment services for mining jobs in Africa? CA Mining is exhibiting at the Mining Indaba taking place the 1ST week of February in Cape Town. We would like to extend an invite to all our clients and candidates as well as potential clients/candidates to visit booth 504 and come and meet our team. I would also like to wish you all a very happy, healthy and successful 2014!
Should you wish to contact Vivienne, you can get in touch with her via her LinkedIn profile!
