40under40 Winner - Maryanne Kelly

Maryanne Kelly has beaten the odds to rise to the position of operations manager, Pannawonica, for iron ore miner and Rio Tinto subsidiary Robe River.

At the age of 28 and a single mother running a restaurant, Ms Kelly decided to enroll in a commerce degree.

Ms Kelly has continued studying ever since, having completed a graduate diploma and an MBA, and is currently pursuing further post-graduate qualifications.

Over the same period she has achieved rapid progress in her career, and is now responsible for 260 staff and 105 contractors at Pannawonica, which has the second largest iron ore mine in Australia, as well as processing plants and supporting rail infrastructure.

Ms Kelly says her most significant achievement was leading the Pannawonica management team to achieve an improvement in safety, costs and production.

She has also worked to achieve more effective use of reporting, planning and management systems, leading to improved decision-making and performance.

As well as running the mining operations, Ms Kelly has oversight of the Pannawonica townsite, which has 800 residents and is owned and managed by Robe.

As such, she played a key role in helping both the mine and the town recover from the devastating effects of cyclone Monty last March.

In between her study and work commitments, Ms Kelly finds time to be a member of the Army reserve, participate in local sporting clubs and coach children’s sporting teams.