With more than 30 years of experience spanning De Beers, Vedanta Resources and now Harmony Gold Mining, Dr Urishanie Govender is one of the industry’s most respected voices on sustainability. From turning mine waste into new sources of gold, to building a zero-carbon future powered by renewables, she shares with Gold Network how the future of mining can be cleaner, fairer, and more human — rooted in dignity, innovation, and lasting impact.
How would you define the role of a Chief Sustainability Officer in the modern mining industry?
The Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) in today’s mining landscape is a strategic enabler who connects operational performance with long terms value for all stakeholders. At its core, it’s about integrating environmental, social, and governance principles into the heart of business strategy — aligning purpose, profit, and planet. In mining, that means linking sustainability performance directly to operational, financial, social and reputational outcomes. An integrated, cross-functional approach that bridges engineering, policy, community engagement, and digital systems is most effective. At Harmony, this vision translates into sustainability metrics being embedded into our core decision-making processes.
You’ve held senior leadership roles at Harmony, De Beers, Vedanta and others. How do you drive sustainability priorities consistently across diverse global operations?
Driving sustainability consistently across diverse geographies requires a deep appreciation for both context and relevance. Sustainability must be both globally coherent and locally responsive. We anchor priorities in globally recognized frameworks — such as the ICMM Mining Principles, the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management, and the SDGs — while translating these into local relevance through co-created targets with site leadership and communities. It also means investing in capability building: developing local sustainability leaders who can champion change in culturally authentic ways. At Harmony, and in prior roles at De Beers and Vedanta, I’ve focused on developing community of practices to ensure participation and accountability across jurisdictions. Above all, it’s about working with a Leadership Team, as we have at Harmony, that listens, learns, and leads with integrity — enabling progress that is inclusive, adaptive, and measurable.
Harmony Gold has made strong commitments to sustainability. What are some of the most impactful initiatives you’ve led or witnessed?
At Harmony we have aspirations to be nature positive; have an inclusive workplace; thriving communities; as well as operational and governance excellence. Some of the most impactful initiatives at Harmony stem from our integrated approach to environmental restoration, community empowerment, and responsible resource extraction.
One standout initiative is our tailings reclamation programme, which not only reduces our environmental footprint but also unlocks economic value through the recovery of gold— all while creating jobs for local communities. We operate the largest gold tailings retreatment business globally at 246koz in FY24.
Another is our ambitious programmes that will enable our transition to net carbon zero by 2030, as part of our broader move towards low carbon mining. Harmony’s decarbonisation roadmap includes science-based targets, renewable energy investments, and energy efficiency practices. Harmony has been optimising energy use since 2016 to help reduce CO2 emissions. Through our energy efficiency programme, there was a cumulative energy savings of R2.24 billion up to the end of FY24 equating to savings of 2.1 MtCO2e. We have pledged to install up to 583MW of renewable energy, plus an additional 200MW for short term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for the period 2027-2031. Harmony has already invested in over 30 MW of embedded solar PV capacity. There is certainly a strong business imperative to moving to low carbon for Harmony!
We’ve also embedded gender-responsive innovation at our underground operation enabling more women to participate comfortably in mining through for example tech-enabled access to sanitary pads dispensers. Harmony has a zero tolerance for gender based violence and have structured Women in Mining and Men’s Forums established to support infrastructure and policy changes for women to thrive in the world of work. We have pledged R1 million a year over the next three years to the national partnership established by the Minerals Council South Africa, the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Response Fund and the National Prosecuting Authority to support GBV victims in mining communities at safe houses, as part of the Thuthuzela Care Centre (TTC) Programmme.
These efforts reflect our belief that sustainability is the engine for resilience and relevance in mining.
How do you see the relationship between sustainability performance and long-term business success in gold mining?
The relationship is direct and inseparable. Sustainability performance is a proxy for risk management, innovation potential, and stakeholder trust — all critical drivers of long-term success.
In gold mining, where societal needs, ecological impact, and resource dependencies are high, sustainability is the lens through which our stakeholders assess our licence to operate. It’s also about competitive advantage. Companies that embed sustainability early and deeply tend to attract better talent, access more favourable capital, and weather volatility with greater agility. At Harmony, we see sustainability as a source of enduring value.
What does responsible gold production mean to you in 2025 and beyond?
Responsible gold production in 2025 and beyond means mining that is regenerative and uplifting. It’s about transparency from pit to product, inclusive benefit-sharing, and an uncompromising focus on safety and environmental stewardship.
For me personally, it also means legacy thinking — ensuring that the landscapes, water sources, and communities we touch today will thrive long after the last ounce is extracted.
It’s why we are advancing regenerative closure planning, water stewardship, renewable energy programmes, and circular waste solutions. It’s why we drive the just social agenda to ensure our workforce and suppliers reflect the diversity of our host nations. Responsible production is ultimately about dignity — for people, for ecosystems, and for future generations.
