In the world of mining giant Anglo American, there are few bigger bets right now than its commitment to building a hydrogen economy as part of being carbon-neutral by 2040. That, and creating more female leaders and scientists in the mining industry. Michillay Brown ticks each of those boxes - and she’s determined to drive meaningful change on all fronts.

A qualified environmental scientist, born and bred in Johannesburg, Brown leads Anglo American’s hydrogen economy policy analysis and strategic advocacy. She was also recently named one of Women in Mining’s Top 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining

 It’s all part of her ambition of being world’s environmental change agent in a practical, tangible, and influential way.

“I understood from an early age that we need to protect Mother Earth. That’s not going to happen by itself. We must proactively come up with concrete, scientifically proven solutions to live and work on this planet. To investigate, understand and work on complex environmental issues, that require complex solutions, requires the base knowledge and application of science first. That’s what sustainable development means to me,” she says.

 Brown joined Anglo American after completing her post-graduate degree in Human Geography in 2015 – and the rest, as they say, is history. Starting as an Environmental Assurance Specialist, she moved to the Group International & Government Relations team in London, where she focused on major policy areas for the business.

Her next role kick-started her career path in technological solutions for sustainability: she joined Project Tracr at De Beers Group as Industry Transformation Lead, working on a blockchain solution for end-to-end assurance of diamond provenance, traceability, and authenticity. Today, she’s at the heart of Anglo American’s drive to create a global hydrogen economy – and there’s no place that she’d rather be.

“Climate change is a defining challenge of our time, and it’s extremely exciting to play a role in tackling this.  One of the ways in which we’re addressing this is investing in the future of hydrogen energy,” she says.

 Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and when combined with a fuel cell it is a source of sustainable energy – the fuel of the future.

Anglo American has numerous hydrogen-related projects running, including the imminent launch of its first 220-ton demonstration hydrogen mine haul truck at its Mogalakwena mine in Limpopo. It also recently published a feasibility study with a number of stakeholders to develop a ‘hydrogen valley’ in South Africa, which offers numerous opportunities for positive impact and development around the country’s hydrogen economy.

Brown is also involved with the UK Aggregated Freight Consortium, a partnership of UK hydrogen industry leaders and mobility companies that are working with fleet operators and government to accelerate commercial volumes of fuel cell trucks, vans and refuelling infrastructure. 

Today, a major part of her role includes stakeholder engagement, and developing relationships with global actors and industry players along the entire hydrogen value chain.

“Brown believes that   one of the ways to make the system more attractive to women in science, is through greater representation and female leadership at the highest levels.

“I cannot say it enough. I have seen trailblazing women in the industry - and have been fortunate to have been recognised as one of them - but the work should not end there. If we want to attract females in STEM leadership, we must be brave enough to invest in the talent, skills and development areas that females may require at all levels.

“The youth need mentors and role models who are already leading in these areas. Setting up mentorship programmes and educating young learners on what opportunities are potentially out there for them, irrespective of gender, race or age, is an important and inspiring way to attract diverse candidates,” says Brown.