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The Sponsorship Imperative: Breaking the Glass Ceiling in the Resources Sector

Understanding the Systemic Barriers to Leadership

The resources sector has long faced challenges with low female representation at executive levels. While women make up a growing portion of the workforce, they remain significantly underrepresented in strategic decision-making roles.

This disparity is unlikely to be solely due to a lack of ambition, competence, or experience. (WGEA data, 2022-23)1 , (Hogan Assessments, 2025) 2 Instead, systemic barriers, such as biased performance feedback, limited access to sponsorship, and exclusion from revenue-driving roles, may contribute to the continued gender disparity at the executive level. 

The Broken Ladder in the Resources Sector

If leadership progression were a ladder, many women in the resources industry could be facing missing rungs. While formal policies may support career growth, key developmental opportunities, such as leading operational projects, managing capital investments, or making high-stakes business decisions may be less accessible. Without sponsorship, stepping up to the next level can be more difficult.

Sponsorship: The Missing Link in Leadership Development

While mentorship provides guidance, sponsorship provides access. A sponsor is a senior leader who:

  • Advocates for a woman’s promotion into high-impact leadership roles.
  • Recommends her for board seats, P&L responsibility, and strategic initiatives.
  • Ensures she is positioned for career-defining opportunities.

Without sponsors, women may remain in mid-level management and could be disproportionately assigned to compliance, ESG, or administrative functions rather than operational leadership.

The Underground Talent Pool

Consider a mining operation where valuable resources are located deep underground but remain unextracted due to outdated exploration techniques. Similarly, organisations that do not actively identify and sponsor high-potential women may risk overlooking leadership talent, which may weaken the long-term strength of the executive pipeline.

Vague Feedback: A Barrier to Leadership Growth

Research has shown that women are 57% more likely to receive non-specific feedback than men. (Correll, S. J., & Simard, C., 2016)3

  • Men’s feedback is likely to highlight business impact (e.g., “Your leadership on the project increased operational efficiency by 15%”).
  • Women’s feedback may tend to focus on communication style (e.g., “You are well-liked by your team”), which lacks measurable leadership value.

This bias may influence promotion decisions, as women lack documented achievements that tie their leadership potential to business outcomes.

The Data Gap in Performance Evaluations

Just as an oil and gas operation relies on accurate geological data to make investment decisions (for example), leadership assessments can benefit from being data-driven rather than subjective or vague. A sponsorship-driven approach ensures women receive structured, outcome-based feedback that may support their executive readiness.

How the Resources Sector Can Implement Sponsorship Effectively

The transition from mentorship to sponsorship requires deliberate structural change in leadership development frameworks. Below are some examples:

  • Ensure women lead high-stakes operational projects rather than being confined to support roles.
  • Establish formal sponsorship programs to match high-potential women with executive sponsors.
  • Hold leadership accountable for sponsorship outcomes and track promotion data.

Building a Sustainable Leadership Pipeline

In the same way that a resource extraction operation requires long-term planning, investment, and infrastructure, building a strong female leadership pipeline requires similar levels of strategic commitment and sustained support.

Organisations that do not embed sponsorship into their leadership development strategy may find that high-potential talent exits before reaching executive levels.

The Business Case for Sponsorship-Driven Leadership

Organisations that actively sponsor women into leadership positions can see measurable business benefits:

  • Financial Performance: Companies with diverse executive teams have been found to outperform competitors by up to 25% in profitability. (McKinsey & Company, 2023)4
  • Talent Retention: Women with strong sponsorship networks are more likely to remain in organisations and ascend to leadership roles.
  • Competitive Advantage: Companies leading in sponsorship may attract and retain top female talent, ensuring leadership continuity.

The next era of industry leadership is likely to be defined by organisations that embed sponsorship as a long-term strategy. Doing so can unlock untapped leadership talent, reinforce executive pipelines, and enhance business outcomes through inclusive leadership.

More than a diversity initiative, sponsorship can represent a high-impact investment in leadership continuity, operational resilience, and sustained competitive advantage in a global market where skills and talent are increasingly scarce.

Metisphere offers bespoke strategic advisory services designed to facilitate sustainable and positive behavioural change; ensuring that individuals, teams, executive groups and organisations are productive and engaged. Get in touch at https://metisphere.co/contact/.

References: 

  • 1 WGEA data from the 2022-23 reporting period. ‘All industries’ has 4,931,902 employees within 4,962 organisations. The division ‘Mining’ has 180,028 employees within 123 organisations.
  • 2 Hogan Assessments (2025). “Why Aren’t There More Women in Leadership Roles?”
  • 3 Correll, S. J., & Simard, C. (2016). “Research: Vague Feedback Is Holding Women Back.” Harvard Business Review.
  • 4 McKinsey & Company (2023). “Increasing Diversity in Mining: Three Years On.”

© 2025 Metisphere. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from Metisphere. Brief excerpts or references may be cited with appropriate attribution. All third-party research referenced herein is properly credited. This document synthesises publicly available insights under fair use for the purposes of commentary, analysis, and industry education. For permissions or inquiries, please contact: [email protected].