Angela Bigg. Courtesy of Rio Tinto

In 2021, Angela Bigg became the first female president and chief operating officer of Rio Tinto’s Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories, which has a workforce of 1,100 people. Beyond adding more life to the mine, it is also her responsibility to look further ahead, preparing the mine and its workforce for closure—a process scheduled to be completed by 2029.