AMPS at WIMWA Summit 2026: Conversations About the Future of Mining, Careers and Leadership
The AMPS team recently joined mining professionals from across Western Australia at the WIMWA Summit 2026 in Perth, spending two days talking about mining careers, technical capability, leadership and the future of the resources industry.
Held on 24 and 25 September 2026 at the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre, this year’s Women in Mining and Resources WA Summit marked 18 years of bringing people from across the mining and resources sector together to share experiences, challenge established thinking and explore how workplaces can continue to evolve.
AMPS was there across both days with our own table, giving us the opportunity to catch up with familiar faces and meet plenty of new ones.
And judging by the number of miniature mine trucks that disappeared from the table, quite a few new AMPS vehicles are now making their way into the world too.
Two days of conversations about mining’s people
Mining is a highly technical industry, but many of the conversations shaping its future are ultimately about people.
Across the two-day program, speakers explored leadership, career development, workplace culture, technology, change, identity, wellbeing and what it takes to create environments where people can perform at their best.
The 2026 program brought together perspectives from throughout the resources sector and beyond, with sessions involving industry leaders, academics, journalists and workplace experts.
Hosts Annabel Crabb and Lisa Leong guided discussions across both days, alongside contributions from speakers including Sabina Shugg AM, Brooke Boney, Dr Emily Musgrove, Michelle Ryan, Dominic Price, Dr Mark Williams, Ben Wyatt AO, Gabrielle Iwanow and others.
While the subjects varied considerably, several common themes continued to emerge. Good leadership requires curiosity and openness. Workplaces perform better when people have room to contribute. Technology also does not remove the importance of human capability, judgement and connection.
Those are particularly relevant conversations for an industry navigating skills shortages, changing technology and increasingly complex operational environments.
Building capability in mining teams
One of the ideas that resonated strongly with us was the importance of developing people while the work is happening.
At AMPS, we see technical capability as something built through experience, good systems, mentoring and exposure to people who are willing to share what they know.
That is why our approach to mining technical services goes beyond providing someone to fill a temporary gap.
Our mining engineers and geologists work alongside client teams to deliver operational work while also sharing knowledge, improving systems and helping develop the capability of the people around them.
The objective is to provide practical support when it is needed while leaving the technical team better positioned for the future.
It means training and capability development can happen through real operational challenges rather than being separated from day-to-day work.
For us, that combination of practical expertise and lasting capability is an important part of being a genuine partner in technical services.
Mining careers do not always follow a straight line
Career development was another recurring theme throughout WIMWA Summit 2026.
Speakers explored changing career directions, taking opportunities, building confidence and reconsidering traditional ideas about what professional success is supposed to look like.
Discussions also looked at the importance of feedback, boundaries, autonomy and creating workplaces where people at different stages of their careers can contribute.
It is an important conversation within mining.
A career in resources can take someone from graduate engineering into operational leadership, from underground to open pit, between commodities, across countries or into specialist technical roles they may never have considered when they entered the industry.
AMPS sees that variety within our own team.
Working across different mining operations gives our engineers, geologists and technical professionals opportunities to experience different sites, systems, challenges and ways of working while continuing to develop their technical skills.
For people who enjoy solving problems, taking ownership and sharing their knowledge with others, that variety can make mining an incredibly broad career.
Technology is changing mining, but people remain critical
The future of work and the changing relationship between people and technology also featured prominently throughout the Summit.
Sessions explored how organisations adapt as technology becomes more capable and how teams can use new tools without losing sight of judgement, communication and human connection.
For technical services teams, that balance matters.
Mine planning software, data, automation and increasingly sophisticated digital tools can significantly improve the way work is completed. But getting value from those tools still depends on people understanding the operation, asking the right questions and making sound technical decisions.
Strong technical teams therefore need more than software proficiency. They need engineers and geologists who understand why decisions are being made, can communicate those decisions clearly and can adapt their approach when operational conditions change.
That is one reason knowledge transfer and mentoring remain such an important part of how AMPS approaches technical support.
Plenty of conversations at the AMPS table
Outside the Summit sessions, our table proved to be a busy place across both days.
People stopped by to talk with the team about mining engineering, geology, drill and blast, careers with AMPS, technical services support and the industry more broadly.
We also received several suggestions for future AMPS stickers, some considerably more practical than others.
Our miniature mining trucks were particularly popular. Many found new homes during the Summit as part of our ongoing AMPS truck photo competition, and we are looking forward to seeing where they appear next, whether that is another mine site, somewhere overseas or somewhere completely unexpected.
More importantly, the table gave us the chance to have genuine conversations with people from different organisations, disciplines and stages of their careers.
Supporting stronger technical teams
Events like WIMWA are a useful reminder that building a strong mining industry is not only about solving today’s operational problems.
It is also about developing the people who will solve tomorrow’s.
AMPS supports mining operations with experienced engineers and geologists across technical services, mine planning, geology and operational support, working both onsite and remotely depending on what an operation requires.
Our consultants are there to deliver the work, but also to take ownership, share their experience and help strengthen the people and systems around them.
Whether an operation needs additional technical capability, support through a period of change or experienced people who can help develop an internal team, our aim remains the same: deliver practical results today while building capability that lasts.
Thank you, WIMWA
A big thank you to Women in Mining and Resources WA, the speakers, volunteers, organisers and everyone who helped bring WIMWA Summit 2026 together.
And thank you to everyone who stopped at the AMPS table for a conversation, picked up a truck, suggested a sticker or simply said hello.
We came away with plenty to think about, several new connections and an even stronger appreciation for the people who continue to make mining such an interesting industry to be part of.
We look forward to continuing those conversations.
Looking for mining engineering or geology support, or interested in where a career with AMPS could take you? Get in touch with the AMPS team.