# Ep20: Leading With Grit: Mel Wren on People, Performance & Personal Strength Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hearts-mines-7053309/ep20-leading-with-grit-mel-wren-on-people-performance-personal-strength Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hearts-mines-7053309/ep20-leading-with-grit-mel-wren-on-people-performance-personal-strength.md Podcast: [Hearts & Mines](https://stenobird.com/podcast/hearts-mines-7053309) Published: 2025-06-15T22:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://heartsandmines.podbean.com/e/ep-20-leading-with-grit-mel-wren-on-people-performance-personal-strength/ Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5bpgcpij6hhr39e4/Ep20_Mel9l9o6.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hearts-mines-7053309/episodes/ep20-leading-with-grit-mel-wren-on-people-performance-personal-strength Duration seconds: 2894 ## Resource In this episode, we speak with Mel Wren, Chief People Officer at Westgold Resources, about leadership, resilience, and transformation in mining HR. With deep expertise in workforce planning, recruitment, and performance management, Mel shares lessons from integrating Karora Resources and the evolving role of digital technologies in people strategy. She also opens up about navigating a complex disability while leading at the highest level, offering a rare and moving perspective on personal strength in professional life. A must-listen for People Leaders and anyone interested in the human side of organisational success. David Beilby ๐Ÿ”— https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbeilby/ Alana Bray-White ๐Ÿ”— https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-bray-white-8b4478219/ Clayton Timms ๐Ÿ”— https://www.linkedin.com/in/clayton-timms/ivy & gecko ๐Ÿ”— https://www.linkedin.com/company/ivy-gecko Timecodes:(00:00) Acknowledging Traditional Owners & Podcast Introduction(00:37) Challenges in Career Advancement(01:09) Introducing Mel Ren(01:45) Mel Ren's Personal Journey(04:05) West Gold Resources & Cultural Integration(06:46) Mel Ren's Background and Early Years(14:59) Leadership and Engagement Insights(23:19) Workplace Flexibility and Trust(24:17) Balancing Flexibility in the Workforce(25:15) Hiring for Culture(28:33) Remuneration and Reward Systems(29:52) Challenges in the Mining Industry(34:42) AI in the Mining Sector(36:52) Personal Reflections and Career Advice(47:14) Conclusion and Final Thoughts Follow Hearts & Mines ๐ŸŒLinkedIn ๐Ÿ”— https://www.linkedin.com/company/hearts-mines Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in 'Hearts & Mines' are those of the podcast participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ivy & gecko or any other agency, organiโ€ฆ ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hearts-mines-7053309/episodes/ep20-leading-with-grit-mel-wren-on-people-performance-personal-strength/transcription-requests` โ€” Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/hearts-mines-7053309/ep20-leading-with-grit-mel-wren-on-people-performance-personal-strength.md` โ€” Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.