INTEGRITY IS DOING THE RIGHT THING EVEN WHEN IT’S HARD

Emile works as Legal Counsel at Mutanda, just outside of Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He has worked at Glencore for four years. Since childhood, integrity has been the guiding principle in his life. Earlier in his career, Emile had to make difficult decisions to stay true to what he believed. But working at Glencore, he feels that his work and personal values are aligned.

After studying hard at secondary school, Emile went on to law school, where he excelled in his exams. He began working at a private practice, but was shocked by the corruption he witnessed. He turned down bribes and refused to work on cases he didn’t agree with. Emile left the private law firm and completed a master’s degree in human rights. This was what led him to work at Glencore.

Integrity is part of my parents’ culture. When we were growing up, my mother always insisted that we show respect to everyone. She taught us to value our own things and not to take what wasn’t ours. If money was left on the table it would still be there two days later. If you are able to put yourself in another’s shoes, you are less likely to harm them. You need to be able to feel the pain that someone else might be feeling. To think: “If I have food on my plate, I need to help my neighbour have food on his plate as well.”

Integrity is doing the right thing at the right moment, even when no one is watching. It is being able to stand up and admit if you make a mistake, and to applaud the good work of others. At Glencore, we have high standards. We act responsibly. We excel beyond the required social and environmental standards and we have a range of programmes aimed at helping local communities prosper.

I think sometimes the public perception of mining companies is that they are damaging. That we are taking away the natural resources and getting more money than the community. But working at Glencore, I’ve been impressed by how we operate. We provide jobs; we give opportunities to employees; we are aligned under the right principles to do business.

Moreover, our leaders continue to move things in the right direction. In the four years I’ve worked here, I’ve already seen big improvements to rules and regulations. It’s not always easy to live with integrity. But whatever your background, cultural or religious heritage, we all have a common ground – humanity – and that means we need to live with a sense of wrong and right.