Welcome to Diary of a Female Leader! 🎙️

Welcome to another episode of Diary of a Female Leader! 🎙️

Welcome to the Second Season of Diary of a Female Leader! 🎙️

Together, we can redefine the future.

Step into the world of "Diary of a Female Leader" as we embark on an awe-inspiring journey with Alexandra, an extraordinary woman in the realm of commodities. Born in the charming city of Paris, her life's path took root in the serene countryside of Picardie, just an hour's drive north of the bustling metropolis.

Our seventh guest is Michele Ashby founder of Ashby Consulting Enterprises Inc. (ACE LLC), a consulting firm that provides corporate board training and certification through her unique program, ACE Board Certification for Women. Her diverse background includes 30 years as a gold specialist/analyst, financial expert, independent corporate director and successful entrepreneur. She was named one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business in Colorado for 2019 by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce for Women for her work in training 1,000 women for corporate board directorships; in 2022, she was selected as one of the 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining by Women in Mining UK. She previously served as an independent director for Mene, Inc., Lithium X and McEwen Mining and was an Executive Consultant with McGhee Productivity Solutions as well as Chief Executive Officer and founder of MiNE, LLC. Ms. Ashby was also the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Denver Gold Group Inc., a Colorado not-for-profit corporation organized and operating as a trade association for the mining industry. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in finance from Regis University.

Join us on an incredible journey as Michele unveils her fascinating career choices. From her early aspirations of becoming a compassionate nurse to the awe-inspiring path she embarked on as a single mother turned stockbroker, prepare to be captivated by her resilience and determination. Delve into the twists and turns of her life as she confronted various obstacles while pursuing a degree in finance. And brace yourself for the thrilling finale as Michele conquers the world of mining, rising to the pinnacle as one of the esteemed executives. Tune in to this extraordinary podcast and witness the extraordinary transformation of a true career trailblazer.

Michele will also provide some nuggets of gold about what can women do to position themselves in more board level positions.

Our sixth guest is Lucy is the ESG & Sustainability Manager for Cornish Lithium, a company exploring for lithium in Cornwall, UK.

She holds a degree in Earth Sciences from Oxford University, and a Masters in Mining Geology from the Camborne School of Mines with a background in grassroots exploration, and started her career exploring for base metals in Morocco and Ethiopia.

She is a strong advocate for the standardisation of sustainable and responsible practices in mining, promoting these actions to the wider public, and is passionate about making the industry a more diverse place to work. She has been on the committee for Young Mining Professionals London since its inception, and is heavily involved in Women in Mining UK.

In 2019, Lucy did a TEDx talk on ‘Mining our way to a low carbon future’ which has been well received. During this talk, she explained the role of the mining industry in the Energy Transition.

During our conversation Lucy will comment on how the mining industry satisfied her passion for science, travelling and knowing more about the world that we live in. Lucy wasn't sure about what she wanted to develop her career in but attending an event featured by Women in Mining UK helped her with her decision.

Our fifth guest is Jennifer Abols, Director of Projects for Alamos Gold, a Canadian based gold producer.

She has worked in Canada, Australia, the US, the UK and Portugal in project execution, commissioning management, engineering management, business and strategic development, process operations, marketing and sales.

She is a past chairman of the Canadian Mineral Processors and ex-president of the West Australian Mining Club.

Prior to taking on her current position she was the Executive Director of the Goodman School of Mines (at Laurentian University) and the President & CEO of Mirarco.

In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Extractive Metallurgy, Jennifer holds an MBA from Wilfred Laurier University.

During our conversation, Jennifer describes a career in a different side of the mining industry, the processing side. She will give us valuable nuggets of information such as the confirmation that a career in mining can be highly remunerated.

Our fourth guest is Elena Meskhi, Founder of Elena Meskhi & Co a Tax and Accountancy practice located in Canary Wharf (London).

Elena relocated to London at the age of 20. In her pursue for an independent career away from her family, she studied a Bachelor's in Economics as well as Psychology.

Shortly after she finished her degree, she had to work as a waitress and other jobs in hospitality. But with perseverance, she secured an opportunity for a non-paid internship at a Private Equity firm in London. After only 6 months, she was given a full time paid role and some years down the line she was the Senior Controller in an oil related company. Role that lead to found her own Tax and Accountancy practice, this practice is celebrating its 12th year anniversary this year.

Elena is the Author of Rewire Your Business for Success, a best-seller, a 6-step method to increase profit and increase your freedom. Recently, and together with a group of successful business females, She has been the co-author of another best seller called: Resilient Women in Life and Business: that features 18 highly successful business women from around the world who share their current best thinking about life and business; and developing resilience.

For the first time in Diary of a Female Leader, we talked with Elena about her life as an accomplished business person and motherhood. She's the mum of three children. Her approach to having a family whilst continue being a business person is very interesting!

Our third guest is Monica Danon-Schaffer, Corporate Safety Manager at Volcan Compañia Minera, a Glencore company.

Ms Danon-Schaffer has a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering a Master of Engineering, Civil Environmental and a PHD in Chemical & Biological Engineering. She has More than 20 years of experience working in countries such as Canada, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Spain, Venezuela, and the US.

Monica has also worked for top tier mining companies such as Newmont, Goldcorp or Glencore.