Vanessa Torres in

Vanessa Torres

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Chair at Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA)
📍 Greater Perth Area, Australia

Vanessa Torres is the Chief Operating Officer for South32s Australian businesses, with a global career across resource companies like BHP and Vale. She has extensive experience in P&L management, operational turnarounds, and business transformation. People who have worked with her describe her as an analytical, strategic, and inspirational leader who actively develops her teams.

Inspired by her engineer grandfather at age five, she has pursued a global career across South America, Canada, and Australia. Passionate about community contribution, she co-founded and financially supports a non-profit in Brazil that has provided professional development to underprivileged students for over 20 years, and serves as a director for Foodbank WA.

She was named the 2017 Exceptional Woman in Resources in Australia, a testament to her influence and leadership.

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Experience
34 Years
Current Role
Chair
Job Level
Leadership
Location
Greater Perth Area, Australia
Personality Overview

How Vanessa shows up

Communication Style
Decision Approach
Work Preference

Behavioral traits and communication patterns that shape how this person evaluates opportunities, builds trust, and makes decisions in professional settings.

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Priorities

Topics Vanessa cares about

Innovation in Mining
As former CTO, she founded South32's 'Innovate32' program. She will also become Chair of the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia in 2026 to drive research excellence.
Business Transformation
Her career is defined by leading large-scale operational turnarounds, driving digital transformation, and reshaping global technology services with a focus on enterprise-wide improvements.
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Career

Work history

1-2026
Chair
Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA)
9-2024
Board Director
Minerals Council of Australia
3-2024
Chief Operating Officer
South32
7-2020 - 3-2024
Chief Technical Officer
South32
8-2018 - 7-2020
Chief Technology Officer
South32
In the press

Media appearances

Changes to the South32 Lead Team – Appointment of Vanessa Torres as COO. Featured in South32 – News & Media
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Education
2008 - 2008
Exec. Education
INSEAD
2006 - 2006
Exec Education
INSEAD
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

DISC behavioral profile

Dominance, influence, steadiness, and calculativeness scores with guidance on how this person prefers to communicate and decide.

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