For her work in helping to build a support organisation for miners and their families through the not-for-profit organisation Miners' Promise, Cassandra White was awarded the 2014 Women in Industry Rising Star Award.
Miners' Promise was established by those within the sector to provide an independent support agency for the men and women (and their families) employed within the resources industry.
Individuals who have themselves experienced emotional and financial hardship or lost a loved one unexpectedly were the driving force behind establishing the organisation.
The group works to support families in whatever it is they need in times of grief. This includes emotional, financial and/or pastoral support.
This is achieved by travelling to the family’s location; assessing their immediate needs and affecting strategies aimed to support and comfort.
White joined Miners’ Promise in early 2011 as the inaugural executive director and worked to create a stable and sustainable future for the company which was struggling to find its financial footing.
Using her high-level communication skills, White built the organisation’s network by targeting mining CEOs, HR departments and mine site managers.
She then organised to spend time at various sites to spread the Miners’ Promise message to employees.
Just four months into the role White was confronted with the death of a member based in Newman, and immediately began working with the person’s family.
Over the past three years, White has helped more than 20 families and loved ones affected by a number of circumstances including workplace-related fatalities, suicides, and homicides.
Whilst Miners’ Promise is a members-based organisation, White has never shied away from providing assistance and advice to the broader industry in pursuit of zero fatalities.
White regularly meets with key personnel from the resources division of the Department of Mines and Petroleum to discuss and review incidents and develop strategies on key learnings.
Since joining Miners’ Promise, White has helped to grow its membership base by over 1200 and has also garnered the support of over 70 companies.
White said it she felt "overwhelmed" at winning the award.
As a breast cancer survivor, White said the urge to “give back” through to not-for-profit sector drove her to join Miners’ Promise.
White said she had plans to take the legacy of Miners’ Promise to the international mining community.
THE RISING STAR AWARD WAS SPONSORED BY QMI SOLUTIONS.