Dr. Catherine Kuupol Kuutor
Dr. Catherine Kuupol Kuutor of Gold Fields Ghana Ltd. has been crowned Mining Personality of the Year at the 11th Ghana Mining Industry Awards (GMIA) becoming the first woman to receive the industry’s top individual honour.
The ceremony, organised by the Ghana Chamber of Mines celebrated excellence under the theme “Celebrating Excellence in Mining: Creating Value Beyond Minerals.”
The awards highlighted achievements in safety, innovation, technology, gender inclusion, community development and responsible mining.
Dr. Kuupol Kuutor, Manager of the Tarkwa Mine, has been widely recognised for breaking barriers and demonstrating transformative leadership in Ghana’s mining sector.
She was earlier honoured in February 2025 by Mining Review Africa as one of the African Mining Elites, receiving their Most Outstanding Leader award — another first for a woman leading a major mine in Ghana.
Appointed Tarkwa Mine Manager in May 2024, Catherine became the first woman to lead a major mine in Ghana. Prior to this, she served as Gold Fields’ first female Metallurgical Manager, overseeing metallurgical operations at both the Tarkwa and Damang mines.
She joined the Damang Mine in 2013 as a superintendent and rose steadily through the ranks, earning promotion to Unit Manager in 2015. Her leadership drove several successful business improvement initiatives that significantly increased gold recovery.
Her win at the 2025 GMIA marks a historic milestone and reinforces her reputation as one of the most influential figures shaping the future of mining in Ghana.
A Business Desk Report