Achieving “Jumbo-Scale” Firsts in Türkiye

As Türkiye’s only fully integrated copper producer, Eti Bakır continues to make a difference in the mining sector with the contribution of its women engineers. On the occasion of 23 June International Women in Engineering Day, the company met with its women engineers at the Siirt Mining Operation, drawing attention to their leadership in a region where female employment rates are among the lowest in the country. Employing Türkiye’s first and only female Jumbo drill operator, Eti Bakır entrusts women with planning chief engineering roles, the planning of ore extracted underground, the management of groundwater in mining fields, and laboratory processes.

Mining, classified as a very high-risk profession, is a field in which men predominantly work. However, women engineers at Eti Bakır—Türkiye’s only company capable of producing from ore to the final product—continue to break the stereotype that “mining is a man’s job.” On the occasion of International Women in Engineering Day, the company once again highlighted the roles of its women engineers, who are entrusted with planning, drilling-blasting processes, groundwater management and laboratory leadership.

A FIRST IN TÜRKİYE: SHE ALSO TRAINED FIVE OPERATORS

During a Mining Congress, İrem Dınmaz crossed paths with Eti Bakır and turned her dream of becoming a Jumbo drill operator—first imagined during her university years—into reality. Today, she is Türkiye’s first and only female Jumbo drill operator. Beyond leading her own unit, she has trained five new operators. Stating that “there is no such thing as men’s or women’s work,” Dınmaz plays a critical role in bringing underground ore into the economy.

Since taking over the Siirt Mining Operation, Eti Bakır has invested a total of USD 200 million in the facility. Planning of the underground segment of this investment is led by Sevda Şimşek Seçkin, Türkiye’s first female chief planning engineer working at a mining site. Seçkin manages all processes from drilling-blasting to ore transfer.

WOMEN ENGINEERS CONTRIBUTING TO SUSTAINABILITY

One of the most critical matters needing careful management at mining sites is groundwater. Tuğçe Enç oversees the management of the water encountered while extracting ore hundreds of meters underground. Through her projects, she enables the reuse of groundwater within the mining site, contributing significantly to sustainability.

Şirin Özlem Teğin, a Siirt-born woman engineer working at Eti Bakır’s Siirt Mining Operation, serves as the quality control and laboratory chief. She notes that she has begun to challenge local perceptions such as “what business do you have in mining; mining is a man’s job.”

Graduating from Istanbul Technical University, Process Engineer Beyza Güler joined Eti Bakır’s Siirt Mining Operation after meeting the company at an ITU Career Days event. Emphasizing that one should not be prejudiced toward professions, Güler says, “If a woman wants, she can work in any sector. If you love your profession, the sector’s gender balance should not matter. I believe any woman who wants to work in mining can do so.”

A STRATEGIC CHOICE THAT ENHANCES QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY

Olcay Kotiloğlu, Operations Manager of Eti Bakır Siirt Mine, noted that Siirt, with a female employment rate of 19.8% according to TÜİK’s 2024 Women in Statistics report, is among the provinces with the lowest women’s employment rates. He said: “We bear the responsibility of being a pioneer in employment—especially women’s employment—in Siirt. At Eti Bakır, a driving force of the Turkish economy through value-added production, the active participation of women engineers in the workforce is not only a reflection of our gender-equality approach but also a strategic choice that increases quality and efficiency.

Here, we are not only visiting a mining operation but also witnessing inclusiveness and courage in action.

With equal opportunity as a core principle, Eti Bakır implements this approach across all its facilities.

Our women engineers take on the most challenging and critical roles—from blasting engineering to drilling operations and sustainability projects. We place great trust in their intelligence, labor and courage.”