'We get to have a multi-generational impact on people's employability and financial livelihood,' says Stephanie Shaw
“I always say I have one of the coolest jobs in Vancouver — or coolest jobs period,” says Stephanie Shaw, vice-president of human resources at Eldorado Gold.
“I think HR is that perfect intersection of people and business.”
Based in Vancouver and leading a 70-plus person global HR team for Eldorado’s 5,000-strong workforce, Shaw joined Eldorado in August 2024.
“I was immediately intrigued to lead the HR function for a global company,” she says, citing the company’s “transformation journey.”
“They’re looking for quite a step change, especially as it relates to people.”
But it was also a moment of personal reckoning, says Shaw.
“I’m a working mom of two daughters… I carry that representation of female leaders as something really important to myself.”
Despite working in a female-majority profession, her own experience was telling: “I've actually not had a female boss before.”
Shaw remembers telling her family, “I know it's going to be hard to balance work and family” but they encouraged to her to take on the leadership position.
It was, she says, “a light bulb moment where I’d had this self-imposed ceiling for myself, and it was time to break through it… taking on this role wasn't just a professional challenge, but a really deep personal commitment, sort of to rewrite the narrative of helping create space for diverse people to rise into leadership roles.”
Shaw is responsible for global total rewards, organization effectiveness and analytics, corporate HR, and global training & development at Eldorado, as well as providing strategic direction, operational oversight, and innovative solutions to drive business success.
‘Magnetic draw’ to field of HR
But her career in HR wasn’t a foregone conclusion as Shaw originally pursued a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing from the University of British Columbia — as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from McGill University.
But after reflecting on her early part-time jobs, which included everything from refereeing soccer to working in retail, Shaw saw a pattern.
“What I realized was that I loved, actually, the human dynamics of work. And what was really catching my attention is that work is really about people.
“And accelerating, let's say, performance through people, and that there are good places, and there are less-than-nice workplaces — and I wanted to be a part of shaping that.”
Past involvement in team sports also shaped Shaw’s interest in HR, she says.
“Success is [about] through putting people together and achieving something… that's what HR is all about. And so I think, in a sense, it's almost, I call it, like a magnetic draw to the field of HR — and I never looked back. I love deeply human work.”
‘Formative’ HR roles at Teck
Shaw’s journey to Eldorado followed more than a decade at Teck Resources, where she held a series of senior HR roles from 2012 to 2024.
“It was a hugely formative experience for me, and I had a chance to lead several projects that helped shape talent throughout an organization that was continuously evolving and transforming.”
Her time there included a pivotal international assignment: “My family and I moved to Chile for four years where I led the HR function for the largest project that was going on at Teck at the time, Quebrada Blanca.”
The HR tenure there, Shaw says, was transformative: “Five-plus jobs, two kids... it was the most formative 12 years of my career, really.”
Leadership development at Eldorado
The professional impact was matched by personal growth.
“I'm originally from Quebec… so it's a little bit in my nature to be able to adapt and be flexible and learn new cultures,” she says. “That's kind of what leadership is about… you have to be able to be flexible and empathize with differences in the way that people approach work.”
Leadership is one of three priorities highlighted by Shaw at Eldorado. Since joining the company, she has spearheaded a revamp of the company’s HR direction. “I've come in and actually redrafted the people strategy for this company,” she says, citing the importance of making an impact and elevating the function.
The new strategy focuses on three priorities, with one being leadership development and inclusive culture. This is an area that Shaw says she is “deeply passionate about,” as a lever for business performance.
“People who feel included and have great leaders are more engaged, make better decisions, collaborate more effectively and ultimately drive stronger results.”
There are many programs and processes across Eldorado that help people do that, such as clearly written standard operating procedures or mechanisms, says Shaw.
“Leadership development and other types of employee development are also an investment in business results, and that's because when people feel good, they perform well.”
Also a priority? Strengthening the employee value proposition, so ensuring the employee experience is robust and differs by employee type, she says.
That means “every employee… really feels that they've got a strong true north as it relates to why they work here, why they'd want to grow, and why they'd want to stay.”
Technology transformation and streamlining is a third top priority at Eldorado, according to Shaw.
“We are embarking on a multi-year technology implementation of an HR platform to make sure we’ve got efficient processes, helping with organizational effectiveness, and really having data-based decision-making.”
That, she notes, also helps with inclusion and diversity, because data helps with transparency and removing bias, and “having equitable processes.”
HR in mining: global and grounded
Shaw sees the mining sector as uniquely positioned within the global economy.
“Mining in general is found in every corner of the world. So, mining is global in terms of that kind of macro reach, but it's also very community driven — we work and operate and employ people from local communities,” she says.
That duality shapes Eldorado’s HR strategy.
“We get to have, often, a multi-generational impact on people's employability and financial livelihood,” she says.
There’s also a real sense of purpose in mining, says Shaw.
“We produce products that the world needs… copper is required in electrification and… gold, there’s just so many uses for it, from health care to electronics to aerospace.”
Importantly, she adds, mining values HR.
“We are a sector that takes HR seriously. We budget for HR… these are industries that really invest in HR, so we’ve got leading edge programs, and we’re able to invest.”
Tackling challenges of recruitment, US tariffs
Despite the sector’s promise, Shaw acknowledges the competitive landscape for talent — especially given the remote aspect of many jobs.
“People have to be willing to relocate, sometimes to non-urban centers.”
There’s also the skills gap, she says: “We're highly skilled, so we don’t have minimum wage, sort of low-skilled work in this industry, so people have to be willing to upskill, I would say… and there’s obviously some regulation around people’s qualifications.”
Asked about navigating external uncertainty like tariffs, Shaw remains pragmatic.
“We look at strategy as something that should be able to ride waves. This industry is cyclical anyways. What we’re seeing right now with the U.S. is perhaps more unpredictable than cyclical, but it’s a flavour that we’re used to in mining, because commodity prices go up and down.”
And when it comes to employee communication, it’ s important to acknowledge that uncertain times are stressful for employees — but authentic messaging is important through good times and bad.
“Employees are human beings, and human beings deserve transparency, accessibility, dignity [and] respect,” she says.
Eldorado takes that to heart, running regular surveys with employees, says Shaw, adding “the general culture of the company is quite accessible in terms of leadership style.”
Love the work, live the mission
Given both the challenges and successes in her career, why does Shaw think she’s been so successful in HR?
“Maybe it comes down to something kind of simple, which is that I love the work,” she reflects. “I’m very motivated by helping people, helping society, helping companies achieve great things.”
“Because I love the work and I’m passionate about results as well, those two things combined are a pretty good match for HR.”
