Thabile Makgala

VP, Minerals RioTinto

Inspirational Women in Mining and Harvard Business School alumni. Thabile Makgala currently serves as the Vice President for Minerals at Rio Tinto. Before joining Rio Tinto, she served with commensurate success at Implats as a Mining Executive. Thabile has over 20 years experience operating in the gold, coal and platinum sectors across both operations and technical services. Thabile was recognised by the South African Mail and Guardian as the Mining Women of the Year in 2021 and acknowledged as the Mining Modernisation Hero by the Minerals Council of South Africa in 2022. 
Thabile advocates for greater equity in the mining sector, earning commendation as one of the Top 100 Inspirational Women in Mining by WimUK.  Additionally, she served as the Chairperson for Women in Mining South Africa, leading the way for transformative change within the industry.