Sara Bergmann

Background

About Sara Bergmann

I’m a proud Nykina and Nyul Nyul woman from the Kimberley in Western Australia. I was educated at St Mary’s College in Broome before attending boarding school at Presbyterian Ladies’ College (PLC) in Perth on the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP) scholarship, graduating as the reconciliation captain in 2013. I went on to complete a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in management at the University of Western Australia. Graduating in 2017 with the David Mack Indigenous Commerce Prize and the School of Indigenous Studies – Outstanding Academic Achievement in a Bachelor Course. In 2017 I travelled to Bangkok to attend the USLS (University Students Leadership Symposium) conference at the United Nations. I started my journey with Rio Tinto in the 2016-2017 summer vacation program, and stayed on as an intern in my final year of study. Before spending time as a graduate in Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s People and Strategy team working in Human Resources. Playing a key role in preparing our workforce for an exciting future. For more than a decade, we have been talking with our people about how technology augments our work, and creates new opportunities. Through this work I was able to connect with our people and help them explore pathways for personal development and growth across our broader network of operations. I went on to spend time in the Iron Ore Finance team working in the business improvement space within the Productivity Driving Performance team. Training divisional representatives in our systems and processes for tracking business improvement and providing support to their divisional transformations. I am now working within the Rio Tinto Copper business on the Winu development designing a culture that liberates people to use their expertise and perform at their best. Often described as a catalyst for change I have been able to talk to people at all levels and groups within Rio Tinto though my roles as a graduate champion and a pioneer for our effort to build a community or hub of capability, for Rio Tinto assets supported through our Perth office. Shortlisted by Rio Tinto to attend the One Young World conference in the Hague (2018) I have always been passionate about social justice and making the world a better place, in particular about levelling the playing field for Aboriginal people and Bridging the Gap to drive Aboriginal participation in the Australian economy.