Laura Arnold is a people person, constantly working to support those around her and always aiming to make a tangible difference in people’s lives.
That is why she thrives in her current role as one of Sodexo’s Operations Support Managers, where she regularly assists up to 25 people across 10 Rio Tinto Iron Ore sites in the West Pilbara Region each week.
Day-to-day, Laura can be found supporting village managers, regional managers, and our Director of Operations Pilbara West, looking after sites, supporting projects, reviewing labour, and doing what she does best—being a team player.
Curiosity meets opportunity
Laura has always been career driven.
Growing up, she observed her father’s love for his mining career. Driven by curiosity and an eagerness to learn the industry, she sought work in the same field.
In 2016, she took the opportunity to explore the mining industry by working as a Housekeeper for Sodexo. But she didn’t last long in this position before her drive and ambition took over.
On her first day, Laura took the initiative to divide the work ahead of the housekeeping team to increase efficiency. Her Village Manager at the time saw how she led the team of housekeepers and mistook her as part of the Mobilisation Team. As a result, after just one week, she moved into an administration position and from there, her first leadership role was Administration Supervisor.
The opportunity for internal growth at Sodexo has well and truly allowed Laura’s determination and drive to propel her to new heights, time and time again.
A sense of belonging
Working for a company that supports her commitment to family has allowed Laura to be there for all the people who need her—whether that be her children or employees and co-workers.
After three years of parental leave (and two children later), she said the sense of belonging and support she found within her team eased her transition back into full-time work.
The relationships she made at Sodexo before parental leave contributed to a seamless return to work in a new position with the Scheduling Team; an arrangement that placed Laura in a role that best suited her family life.
Having spent majority of her time with Sodexo in ground operations roles, the flexibility of this new position in the Perth Regional Support Centre aligned with Laura's personal career and family goals—where they're both happily accounted for.
“Sodexo is extremely family-orientated. It is a family. They understand and are very accepting. So, Sodexo made the transition quite easy for me.”
“Corporate life is definitely a different dynamic to on-site work, but the family dynamic is still the same… I’ve made lifelong friends here. I’m still just as close with the friends I made all the way back in 2016 as I am today,” she said.
Next steps
Characteristically, Laura is still thinking about her career and next steps.
Laura has loved watching projects evolve from start to finish and said it’s seeing the end result that is truly rewarding. Recently, she travelled to Pannawonica for the grand opening of the Panna Cafe, one of the many projects she has been grateful to work on.
Her career development will focus on honing her skills within the Operations team, but for now she is happy to remain in her current role and learn as much as she can.
“I love my job. I love what I do, who I work with, who I work for. It’s a great team. It’s broadened my knowledge and experience, not just from an operations background,” she said.
“I get to see so much more of the business and why we do what we do for Australia and the Energy & Resources sector.”
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