View from the Top | Jad Vodopija of BHP
Jad Vodopija, Chief People Officer of Australian multinational mining company BHP, has over two decades of experience in various aspects of human resources. Her strength lies in strategy execution.
As the leader of BHP on industrial relations and workforce matters, Jad is responsible for crafting and executing people and culture strategies, programs, and policies at a global scale.
Throughout her years in the industry, Jad has always been known for her collaborative approach to delivering ambitious results.
Jad started her career with Ford Motor Company as an HR Officer in 1997 before she moved up to the position of Employee Relations Coordinator in just a year.
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After three years with Ford, she started her journey with BHP Billiton in 2001 as the company’s Senior Industrial Relations Officer for Transport and Logistics.
“This position was responsible for providing high level industrial relations advice to key operations management team members,” she recalls. “During this time I was involved in the successful divestment of the operations group, requiring a strong organisational change focus to support strategic industrial relations activities.”
Within 10 months, Jad moved up to become Senior Human Resource Advisor where she reported to the Vice President of Human Resources.
In the next eight years, she rose from the ranks, serving various manager level roles before becoming Vice President of Human Resources in 2014.
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Jad held the position for a couple of years before leaving for Orica in 2016, where she served another VP role for the company’s Australia, Pacific and Asia business.
In 2019, Jad rejoined BHP as Vice President for HR Business Partnership Minerals Australia, Asia, and Functions. From that year on and all throughout the pandemic, she worked together with a team to provide strategic HR support to the Minerals Australia business. She also had oversight functions for the provision of HR support for BHP’s commercial and functional teams globally.
Jad was later elevated to Chief People Officer in July this year, putting her in a position to help the company further grow in a post-pandemic world.