First woman to chair the Saskatchewan Mining Association
- EFN Staff | May 28, 2017
Jessica Theriault of The Mosaic Company elected as Chair of the Saskatchewan Mining Association.
The Saskatchewan Mining Association (SMA) is very pleased to announce that Jessica Theriault, Director of Environmental Affairs, the Mosaic Company, has been elected as Chair of SMA for a two-year term. She is the association’s first female Chair in its 52-year history.
Theriault succeeds Neil McMillan, Chair of Cameco Corporation, and former CEO of Claude Resources, who served as Chair from February 2015 through until the SMA AGM in March 2017. At the SMA AGM, Tammy Van Lambalgen, Vice President, Corporate Affairs and General Counsel, AREVA Resources Canada, was also elected as SMA Vice-Chair.
Theriault’s appointment as Chair, and Ms. Van Lambalgen as Vice-Chair represents a significant milestone in signalling the growing leadership role of women in mining. It also shines a light on the diversity of rewarding careers for women in the mining sector in Saskatchewan, home to global mining and exploration companies and the top jurisdiction in the world for attracting mineral investment according to the annual Fraser Institute Survey of Mining Companies.
“It is a privilege to be elected as Chair of the Saskatchewan Mining Association,” said Theriault. Given the importance of mining to the Saskatchewan and Canadian economies, and the strength of our industry’s reputation, my focus as Chair will be to ensure that we continue to deliver, but also drive improvements across the sector.”
Theriault has been an active member of the SMA, serving as the Chair of the SMA Environment Committee from 2009 - 2011 and as a Mosaic representative on the SMA Board of Directors since 2013. “As Chair of the SMA, Jessica’s expertise in environmental leadership will serve the SMA well in the global transition to a lower-GHG emission economy” said Pam Schwann, SMA President.
Theriault holds an environmental engineering degree and MBA from the University of Regina. Jessica has over 19 years of environmental experience in the potash mining industry in Saskatchewan and currently oversees the coordination and management of environmental regulatory relations for the Mosaic Potash Business Unit, as well as leadership in the development of the Mosaic Potash Business Unit Sustainability Program.
Theriault is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists in Saskatchewan.
Joining Theriault on the SMA Board of Directors are: Van Lambalgen (AREVA Resources Canada); Peter Jackson, Jason Tremblay (Mosaic); Larry Long, Trevor Berg, Rob Jackson (PotashCorp); Alice Wong, Liam Mooney, Andy Thorne, Scott McHardy (Cameco); John Sundquist, (Agrium); Eric Cline (K+S Potash Canada); Rick Kusmirski (Skyharbour Resources Ltd.); Cameron Chapman (Silver Standard Resources) and Terry Morris (Westmoreland Coal Company).