Starting university aged 16, Dr Sandra Close AM began campaigning for women’s equality in 1965, and she’s been fighting against discrimination for almost 60 years.
In 1967, Sandra became the first, full-time female exploration geologist in Australia and possibly the world. She then worked in banking, evaluating and financing major mineral projects and later became a senior executive in a multinational resources and energy group.
Today, trailblazer Sandra is recognised as an expert on the Australian gold industry, an author and a media commentator.
She was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, the first woman in its 131-year history. In 2013, Sandra received its Sir Willis Connolly Memorial Medal – its only female recipient.
In 2018, Women in Mining United Kingdom named Sandra one of the Global 100 Inspirational Women in Mining. She also served on the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and its predecessors.