A top down perspective: Jaco’s journey in mining, internal audit & assurance

Jaco’s career in mining spans nearly 25 years. He grew up in South Africa, where his passion for the industry developed and he came to understand the role that mining plays in our everyday lives. 

“For me, mining is not about extraction, it’s about creation,” Jaco says. “Just think of most of the technology we use, and nearly every tool of convenience we rely on, and you get a sense for the role that mining plays in our lives.”

He has spent the last eight years at Glencore working for Glencore’s Group Internal Audit and Assurance (GIAA) function. 

The mission of GIAA is to enhance and protect organisational value by providing risk-based and objective assurance, advice and insight. 

As Jaco explains: “GIAA evaluates whether significant risks are appropriately identified, assessed, managed and reported, including whether controls are designed adequately and operating effectively to mitigate key risks”. 

Jaco manages a global team and audit activities across multiple time zones, which helps to ensure consistent audit execution. Collaboration and ongoing engagement with stakeholders throughout the audit process is also key to achieving successful audit outcomes. In addition, he works closely with the GIAA Leadership Team on strategic initiatives that seek to drive continuous improvement across the function.

“In GIAA I get to see how all the different puzzle pieces fit together - from Glencore’s industrial assets to our marketing offices, across key areas including health, safety, environment and community, human rights, all the functional activities including compliance as well as technology” Jaco says. “Every day I get to collaborate with colleagues around the world, learning from different perspectives and cultures, building relationships and seeing how our collective efforts make the business stronger.”

Outside of work, Jaco enjoys travelling, sports and spending time in nature with his family. 

“I think the trick is to find joy in the simple things in life,” he reflects. “Whether hiking, watching a rugby match or sharing a weekend braai with family and friends.”