Sal Maloney

Prior to my studies I had worked as a geological technician in  the Western Australian gold fields and this work had given me exposure to an industry that I saw as providing a different and exciting career and lifestyle.

Upon graduation I was employed as a geologist with Rio Tinto Exploration based in Perth and working with a team whose aim was to discover a world-class diamond deposit in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia.

In this highly satisfying role, I was exposed to all aspects of grassroots exploration including project generation, land access negotiations, site visits with traditional landowners, field based and helicopter supported sampling, geological mapping programs and the drill testing of geological targets. Later this role came to include iron ore exploration in the Pilbara region, nickel exploration in the Musgrave Ranges of South Australia and a short secondment to the Merlin Diamond mine in the Northern Territory.

In 2003 I was transferred to the South American exploration arm of Rio Tinto, taking up residence in the northern Chilean city of Antofagasta, located in the heart of the Atacama Desert.

The area, renowned for its copper endowment, hosts some of the world's great copper deposits including Chuquicamata and the partly Rio Tinto owned Escondida. Here my role is that of a project geologist responsible for the generation and management of porphyry copper exploration projects. Having completed nearly two years in Chile, I will now be moving on to Rio Tinto Exploration's Project Generation Group where I will be based in Melbourne and work in China on a fly in/fly out basis.

Rio Tinto has a strong commitment to training and development of its employees and this has enabled me to complete a great deal of training, including a diamond exploration course in South Africa, tours of the key porphyry copper deposits of South America and training in other aspects of the mining and exploration industry such as working with communities and safety management.

Rio Tinto continues to provide me with a rewarding and challenging career, which presents great opportunities to develop both professionally and personally.