Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs
Our business
We operate in 35 countries where our 60,000 employees are working to find better ways to provide the materials the world needs
Our purpose in action
Continuous improvement and innovation are part of our DNA
Innovation
The need for innovation is greater than ever
We supply the metals and minerals used to help the world grow and decarbonise
Iron Ore
The primary raw material used to make steel, which is strong, long-lasting and cost-efficient
Lithium
The lightest of all metals, it is a key element needed for low-carbon technologies
Copper
Tough but malleable, corrosion-resistant and recyclable, and an excellent conductor of heat and transmitter of electricity
Bringing to market materials critical to urbanisation and the transition to a low-carbon economy
Oyu Tolgoi
One of the most modern, safe and sustainable operations in the world
Rincon Project
A long-life, low-cost and low-carbon lithium source
Simandou Project
The world’s largest untapped high-grade iron ore deposit
Providing materials the world needs in a responsible way
Climate Change
We’re targeting net zero emissions by 2050
Nature solutions
Our nature-based solutions projects complement the work we're doing to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 emissions
Enabling ESG transparency
Our START™ initiative tracks traceability and responsible production of Rio Tinto materials.
We aim to deliver superior returns to our shareholders while safeguarding the environment and meeting our obligations to wider society
Reports 2024
Download our 2024 suite of reports, including our 2024 Taxes and Royalties Paid Report, detailing $8.4 billion of taxes and royalties paid globally during the year
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Things You Can't Live Without
Our podcast discussing what needs to happen to create a sustainable future for the everyday items we have come to rely on
Refuelling the mining industry
How can we power the world’s biggest machines with new fuel solutions?
Forging a low-carbon future
How we're working to decarbonise iron ore and steel
Discover more about life at Rio Tinto
Graduates and students
If you want to drive real change, we have just the place to do it
In-house consulting
Discover how our in-house consultancy team, PACE, offers a unique opportunity to help shape Rio Tinto from the inside
Available jobs
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How a Brazillian beverage engineer became an award-winning train productivity optimiser
Growing up in a farming family in Brazil, Amanda’s path into mining began far from the mining industry. She built a career in the beverage industry as a production engineer before moving to Australia to learn English, and then completing a master’s degree in industrial engineering. None of her big career moves were planned, but Amanda’s drive and mindset allowed her to adapt to changes and challenges.
Along the way, she discovered a passion for optimisation that led to her award-winning work improving productivity on our train scheduling platform as part of the Future Scheduling Platform (FSP) team – a project designed to replace legacy systems and optimise our rail scheduling across multiple mines in the Pilbara in Western Australia.
“When I first arrived in Australia from Brazil, I intended to stay just for 6 months to learn English. I’d been working as a production engineer in beverage manufacturing, and I thought improving my language skills would help my career back home.
But that one decision changed everything. I didn’t plan to migrate, and I didn’t have any grand strategy. I just followed the train that showed up, and jumped on – sometimes it felt too fast, and I wasn’t sure I could keep up. But I’ve learned that you don’t need to have all the answers to take the first step. You just need to show up.
That mindset, to “wake up and show up”, comes from my family. My grandparents were farmers. We didn’t have much, but we had a strong sense of responsibility. You wake up, you do the work, and you take ownership. That’s how I was raised, and it’s how I live.
My first job in Australia was as a dishwasher. I was happy to have a job, the chance to practice my English, and my first Australian paycheck. But it felt like I’d left everything behind, and I questioned whether I’d thrown away my years of study. I kept showing up, and slowly, my English improved, I made friends, I started studying again, and I realised I wasn’t losing who I was – I was becoming someone new.
I kept going with the flow and enrolled in a master’s degree in industrial engineering at Curtin University. During my studies, I discovered a passion for optimisation. I already understood the operational side from my previous career in beverage production – mass balance, flow and constraints – so learning how to express that mathematically and build algorithms felt like a natural extension.
Eventually, I joined Rio Tinto and became part of the Future Scheduling Platform (FSP) team. I wasn’t part of the initial build, but I joined the team responsible for keeping the lights on. And I discovered that’s where I thrive.
Maintaining a platform means working closely with users, understanding how they interact with the system, and making sure it’s stable, reliable, and effective. I spent hours in control rooms, listening, learning and helping translate the aloof “black box” of optimisation into something people could trust and use.
Mathematical modelling is a language, just like English or Portuguese. And communicating for connection – considering who is listening, and tailoring your approach to meet their needs – always gets the best result. If you speak only in variables and constraints, you lose people. But if you talk about what it means for them in a context that makes sense to them – their crusher, their plant, their shift – that’s when connection happens.
The FSP has already made a measurable impact. We’ve significantly reduced the risk of full stock events – when a mine has to stop because the yard is too full. We’ve decommissioned a legacy system and replaced it with a more stable, scalable platform. And we’ve cut onboarding time for new schedulers from 6 months to less than one.
I recently stepped into a Superintendent role in the Integrated Scheduling and Planning team. It feels full circle. I started by supporting them, and now I’m part of them. I’m proud of the work we’ve done, and I’m grateful for the people who believed in me – especially my leader, who nominated me for the Technological Innovation Award at the 2025 Women in Resources Awards.
It’s recognition like this that can lead to things like career progression and further successes. I was one of many who contributed to the success of the project – we were an incredible and diverse team of talented people.
I showed up and gave my best, but the work I did on FSP wasn’t better than anything I’ve done in the past 15 years. The difference was visibility. And because of that, people saw me, saw the impact and could recognise the value of the work we’d done.
If we want to see more diverse leadership, let’s make sure our most visible, high-impact projects are led by diverse teams. Give people the platform, set them up for success, and watch what happens. Because when people feel like they belong, they don’t just show up – they thrive.”