The EMBA graduate now leading Orica’s surface mining in North America

Jessica Reilly is six weeks into leading over 800 people as Head of Surface Mining, North America. Less than a year ago, she was sitting her final exams at 39 weeks pregnant.

Jessica Reilly’s career has taken her from Queensland coal mines to remote WA, the Goldfields, Central Australia, and now to Denver, Colorado. Her journey with Orica began when a job interview took her career in a direction she hadn’t expected.

After completing a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Adelaide, Jessica interviewed for an engineering role. But during the process, the team saw that one of her greatest strengths was her ability to connect with people and customers.

“They saw that I had a strong technical foundation, but they also saw something in me that I probably hadn’t recognized yet: that I could connect with people and understand what customers needed.”

Instead of a traditional engineering pathway, she was offered a role in Operations, working across multiple sites in remote Australia, engaging frontline teams and helping implement solutions.

“I was like, that’s me. That’s exactly what I want to do.”

Always wanting more

As an operations graduate, Jessica headed straight for Queensland and New South Wales mine sites. She drove trucks, qualified as a blasting assistant and produced emulsion explosives.

Twenty-four months later, keen to broaden her commercial experience, she moved to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

“I had no idea what I was in for. It was very remote, and a very challenging town to make friends in,” she said.

That big move led to her first promotion as Territory Manager for the Goldfields, leading a team of around 60 people.

“Would you have sent a 22-year-old to Kalgoorlie, or made a 25-year-old area manager of 60 miners? Probably not,” she said. “But Orica saw that capability and gave me these leadership roles.”

Next came South Australia and the Northern Territory, followed by a return to Queensland and the same mine where she had started as a graduate. By then, Jessica was 30 and had built significant operational, commercial and leadership experience by taking on increasingly challenging roles. Learning on the job, she says, was the biggest teacher.

“I’d learned so much by being thrown into different environments and being given real responsibility early. I was always looking for the next thing I needed to learn to become a better leader,” she said.

When she spotted a gap, she filled it herself.

“I self-taught myself P&L management on LinkedIn Learning and YouTube,” she said. “I thought, maybe it’s a nice time to do my MBA.”

“On reflection, there is never a good time to do an MBA. You’ve just got to do it.”

 

Learning and doing at the same time

Jessica chose Melbourne Business School’s Executive MBA because she could apply what she learned in real time, alongside a full-time job. She was drawn to the intensive format and a cohort of like-minded people balancing the same pressures.

The learning crossed straight into her work at Orica. While studying negotiation, Jessica was also negotiating a five-year customer contract.

“I’m doing simulations in class and getting feedback on where I can improve, which is great. Then I have a very short amount of time to put that feedback into practice. So, when I go into the real negotiation at work, I’m better prepared.”

With coaching from her negotiation professor, she used a technique called multiple equivalent simultaneous offers (MESOs), giving the customer several different offers of equal value so their preferences became clear.

“We signed that contract. It’s a five-year deal,” she said.

The Executive MBA also helped Jessica turn her natural energy into clearer communication.

“I’ve always operated at 100 miles an hour and I’m incredibly passionate about what I do. The MBA taught me how to take that energy and structure it so people can clearly see where we’re going, why it matters and what we need to do to get there.”

"I think as a leader, I'm now a stronger communicator than I was pre-MBA."

-Jessica Reilly

Making it work

“There’s never a perfect time to do anything in life. If you wait for everything to line up, you’re going to miss so many opportunities,” she said. “Saying this, my son was one of the few things that arrived perfectly on schedule.”

Jessica’s son William was born on December 3rd, just a week after her last exam.

“It was a humbling experience, but I was very determined to make it work.”

She credits the people around her. Her husband, her mum, her classmates and colleagues all supported her.

Changing mining leadership

Mining is still a heavily male-dominated industry, but Jessica has seen it change. At her first Queensland coal mine, she was the only woman on site. When she returned eight years later, the team was approaching 40% women.

“We’ve made phenomenal progress over the 10 years I’ve been in the role, but there’s still a way to go,” she said.

Early in her career, she often felt she had to prove herself, or lead like the people around her, before she earned credibility. Over time, that outlook changed as she forged her own path.

“Leadership isn’t about fitting a particular mould,” she said. “It’s about delivering results, building trust, and creating an environment where people can do their best work.”

Today, Jessica leads a team of more than 800 people across the US and Canada, with Mexico soon to join. She is responsible for establishing commercially viable contracts, generating customer value and managing the day-to-day operational and safety compliance.

Jessica’s career path is proof you don't have to wait for the perfect moment. During her MBA she was pregnant, and she had her baby a week after her final exams. Shortly afterwards, her family relocated to the United States so she could lead Orica’s surface mining business in North America. “There’s no perfect time and no perfect pathway,” she said. “You build the support around you, back yourself, and make it work.”

It’s a pace she’s comfortable with. “I’m good at fast,” she said. “I may not be the smartest in the room, but I’m the most motivated.”

And that's exactly her advice to emerging leaders. “Most of the significant opportunities in my career came before I felt completely prepared for them,” she said. “Growth happens when you’re slightly uncomfortable.”

A sustainable future

For Jessica, sustainability is not something that sits separately from the commercial and operational realities of mining. It is increasingly part of how industry creates long-term value.

“Mining sits at the heart of the energy transition. Copper, lithium, nickel, critical minerals, are all needed for electrification, renewables, they all come from mining,” she said. “But at the same time, you've got communities, investors and customers saying you need to operate more responsibly.”

Her big aim is for Orica to have a long-lasting positive legacy on the industry.

“That’s what makes it exciting, because it forces us to innovate, think differently and find better ways to create value,” she said.

It’s a mindset Orica is also backing with Melbourne Business School. Orica is a $3.85m partner of the school’s Sustainable Value Creation Institute, which was established to enable sustainability transitions and deliver long-term shareholder value.

Orica and Melbourne Business School

Orica's partnership with the Melbourne Business School dates back to when the company was known as ICI Australia. It was among the founding partners behind the school’s current building, which opened in December 1986 and remains the school’s home today.

Jessica’s own story is a good example of Orica's commitment to developing future leaders.