TORONTO, ON- Golder’s Catharine Shaw, Mining Client Program Manager with Golder’s Toronto Office was recently given the inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Award by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM). Catharine was presented the award at a ceremony at CIM’s annual convention, hosted this year in Montreal, QC.

“It is an honour to be nominated, let alone endorsed by industry peers and the CIM membership for this important award. The best part, it now exists! It is available for future generations to come,” Catharine says.

Catharine was the first-ever recipient of the Diversity and Inclusion Award, which was created to recognize exceptional contribution towards improving diversity and inclusion in the mining industry in Canada. Founded in 1898, CIM has more than 11,000 members and is the leading not-for-profit technical society for professionals in the Canadian minerals, metals, materials and energy industries.

Throughout her career, Catharine has worked to improve the participation and inclusion of women in the mining industry. She joined the Women in Mining (WIM) Toronto branch in 2006 and created the group’s first collaborative newsletter to promote projects and events lead by women from Canada and around the world. In 2008, Catharine helped organize the inaugural Women in Mining International Reception—the first event of its kind devoted to women in the mining industry. The event quickly became self-sustaining and participation grew beyond most large mining conferences hosting similar events. Success of the event led Catharine and others to found WIM Canada – the Canadian umbrella group for local WIM branches where she served as the president from 2012-2014 and continues as a director today. “Women in Mining Canada’s mission is to Empower, Educate and Elevate and provide collaborative support in inspiring Diversity and Inclusion with all stakeholders in the mining industry,” Catharine says.

Catharine has also authored several published articles on improving the representation of women in business and mining and she has twice chaired WIM themed sessions during CIM conferences (2011, 2012). “Pushing the Boundaries” shared the lives of six professional women who discussed the challenges, opportunities and rewards for choosing a career in mining and “Putting the Business Case for Diversity into Action”, that encouraged gender inclusive leadership and workforces. Catharine also served as a co-chair of the Peoples and Communities Women in Mining session at the World Mining Congress (2013).

Catharine plans to continue her work with Golder, while continuing to push for increased diversity and inclusion within the mining industry in Canada and around the globe. “Many of our mining clients have a Diversity Policy that reaches beyond gender, including ethnicity, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, education and religion,” Catharine says. “Inclusivity brings together diversity of thought which offers a compelling business case. Like our clients, I believe Golder is bringing together a more diverse and inclusive workforce based on merit and competency. Golder is leading by example.”