With a career spanning Rio Tinto, Valcambi, GE, and BP, Virginie Bahon has been at the forefront of some of the most critical conversations around responsible sourcing, ethical supply chains, and community engagement in the mining and metals sector. In this candid interview, she shares how a single moment reshaped her purpose, why transparency is non-negotiable, and how true progress in the gold industry depends on collaboration across every link in the value chain.
Drawing from your career journey, what experiences have shaped your approach to responsible leadership in the mining and refining sectors?
Well, where should I start — it’s a long story! I come from a technical background, having studied engineering at university. Early in my career, I held technical roles before moving into marketing, and later into external affairs and communications for large corporations, including BP, Rio Tinto, and GE. However, during that time, I wasn’t directly involved in the area of responsible practices or sustainability, although it was always part of the broader corporate strategy.
The real turning point came when I attended an industry forum, where I was impressed by a panel discussion on responsible practices in the mining sector, particularly focusing on gold and artisanal small-scale mining. One of the panellists made a powerful point: unless we support artisanal miners in improving their practices, the so-called “dirty gold” will continue to circulate. She argued that larger corporations have a responsibility to address the root causes of unsustainable practices, and all of us have a role to play in this process.
That conversation truly opened my eyes. It revealed an entirely new aspect of mining and refining that I hadn’t fully considered, and it became clear to me that I wanted to contribute to change — not only as a representative of a company, but on a personal level. I wanted to be part of the effort to create responsible supply chains, and to help ensure that everyone involved in the gold sector could make a decent living from their work.
How do you manage and communicate a company’s sustainability efforts, especially when faced with external scrutiny or allegations of non-compliance?
That’s a more complex question. To begin with, transparency is absolutely essential. In my experience, when companies fail to communicate clearly and openly about what they’re doing — and how they’re improving — it creates a vacuum. And that vacuum is often filled by critics, sometimes based on facts, sometimes not. So my first recommendation is always: be more transparent.
Transparency means going beyond what is strictly required. We need to communicate the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ — why we do things a certain way, and how we are making progress.
Secondly, building relationships is crucial. Constructive dialogue is key. We shouldn’t shy away from engaging with NGOs, civil society organisations, or even individuals who are raising concerns. Many of them have valid points or valuable ideas, even if we don’t always agree with them. By opening up a channel for dialogue, we create opportunities to collaborate and improve.
Ultimately, we are all working toward the same goal: building a more sustainable and responsible world. And for that, humility is important. No corporation is perfect — we need to be open to acknowledging where we could have done better and commit to continuous improvement.
What does effective stakeholder engagement look like today – and how can companies create more meaningful, trust-based relationships across the gold value chain?
That builds directly on what I just shared. Stakeholder engagement today must be broad and inclusive. It involves employees at all levels, contractors, government bodies, academia, civil society, and of course, local communities.
One thing that often gets overlooked is listening. Stakeholders — especially communities — want to be heard. In some of the projects I’ve worked on, there were real tensions on the ground. The turning point often came when we stopped trying to just explain our position and started genuinely listening to people’s concerns. Engagement means collaboration — not telling people what’s going to happen, but working with them to find shared solutions.
What types of impact-driven initiatives or partnerships have you found most effective in driving positive social or environmental outcomes?
One example that stands out during my time at Valcambi is the partnership, led by the Swiss Better Gold Association, that we established with the barequeros — small-scale artisanal gold miners — in Colombia. These individuals work along riverbanks in one of the poorest regions of the country. We created a responsible value chain that connected the barequeros with an aggregator in Colombia, then to Valcambi, and finally to Chopard. It was an incredibly impactful project.
I visited the region and met these miners. Some days, they find nothing; on a good day, maybe a gram of gold — and that means the world to them. We helped register over 1,500 barequeros, ensuring that each one met certain criteria to sell their gold responsibly.
Through this system, they now receive close to gold market prices — with an additional premium for adhering to good practices — and they have guaranteed a buyer. It has transformed their lives. To me, this is one of the most meaningful initiatives I’ve ever been part of.
How do you see the role of corporate affairs evolving in an industry increasingly shaped by sustainability, regulation, and scrutiny?
Corporate affairs has always been a strategic function, but its importance is only growing. We must now stay not just compliant, but ahead of the curve — anticipating regulatory changes, driving internal policy evolution, and proactively contributing to more sustainable systems.
Finally, what advice would you share with the next generation of professionals, particularly those working at the intersection of sustainability, sourcing, and strategic communications?
My main piece of advice is not to think of these areas in silos. Everything is interconnected. If you begin your career in communications, get involved in supply chain discussions. Dive into sustainability strategy. The earlier you can gain a holistic understanding, the more impact you can have.
Communications is not just about messaging — it serves and enables every other function. To truly make a difference, you need to be part of the broader ecosystem and contribute to shaping responsible practices across the board.
That’s what I did, and it made all the difference.
One final word?
Yes, I’m genuinely excited to join the Gold Network board! I look forward to shaping our mission and welcoming new members as we continue our journey to ensure the gold sector is not only responsible, but also a place where every person in the value chain can thrive and live decently.
