Transforming Mining Arena with Innovation

Zara Anderson, Vice President of Mining of Silixa, is very passionate about mining and its transformation towards sustainability and innovation. She has been in the industry for over 20 years and has a global network of mining professionals. Since she joined, Zara has been able to shape and refine the portfolio of Silixa’s mining solution, linking the company’s unique offerings and expertise to the needs of the mining industry. This has put Silixa in a leading position to partner with the mining sector and offers turn-key solutions based on Distributed Fiber Optics Sensing.

“I have been blessed to work in many different roles such as academics, technical engineering positions in mines, sales, consulting, and leadership. I have also been blessed to travel extensively to different countries for business or pleasure,” says Zara. “With each role and regardless of location and position, I aimed to do the best at my job and give it my full effort. I enjoyed every role, learned from it, and never viewed my capabilities as a woman, rather as someone with something to offer and many things to learn and experience with each opportunity.” Zara learned that a massive part of her success is the people she works with and understanding their viewpoints, position, and contribution. “I think I am a better leader today because of those experiences. My life lesson is to do your job with passion and joy and treat people around you with respect and empathy. You will excel at anything you do,” she says.

Everyone brings unique expertise and skills to Zara’s team. Her role as a leader is to recognize the strengths of each team member and empower them in their area of interest while coaching them to recognize their growth potential and find their career path. The success of each project depends on having the right team members and the right mix of skills in place and motivating the team to participate, be proactive, and become leaders in their current and future roles and attain success. “I used to think that success is achieved once you reach one objective after another. Now I see success as an evolving journey, as a measure of the quality of life; acknowledging the tasks and challenges that come my way and how I can take them on with an attitude of gratitude and joy in each moment, in both personal and professional life,” explains Zara. “The ultimate success for me is how I can contribute to the lives of others around me including my family, my colleagues, and society in general. The advice that I can share is that the world around you is shaped by your attitude. Plan, work towards your goal, but in the process, enjoy every moment, even when things don’t go as planned and life gets stressful. You will find that everything falls in place at the right time and place.” Armed with this unique mindset and determination, Zara has been taking the company to new heights.

Silixa was created to secure a safer, more sustainable future for people and the planet by using accurate, real-time and high-resolution data to build a complete picture of the world around us. Silixa is developing solutions based on revolutionary Fiber Sensing technology. Zara’s mission is to take this technology to the mining industry globally. The global economy relies on the mining industry, not to mention the industry's role in securing critical minerals and meeting clean energy transition demands. Zara wants to work with the talented team at Silixa and the mining industry to develop and implement solutions that make the mines safer, greener, and more efficient.

Silixa, thanks to its rich culture of R&D, commercial solutions, and partnership with industry, researchers, and governments, has enjoyed many achievements since its launch in 2007. Silixa has over 200 pending and granted patents, multiple technology awards, and a full suite of best-in-class fiber sensing technology. Silixa proudly celebrates its diverse team of over 32 nationalities working together to design and offer turn-key solutions in every project they take on. “Mining is a fascinating industry with its many opportunities and challenges. I want to be able to contribute to the industry through what I do, playing a role in enhancing mining practices, mine safety and efficiency,” elucidates Zara. “Working with Silixa makes reaching this goal easier and the journey more fun, as I work with a brilliant and passionate group of people, leading innovations in the breakthrough technology of Distributed Fiber Sensing.”