INSIDER: Q&A with Andrea Chapman, executive general manager of people at Mineral Resources

What’s the best financial advice you’ve ever been given? My parents drilled into me: “Always live within your means.” To this day I still don’t own a credit card because if I can’t afford it, I shouldn’t buy it. I also recently read The Psychology Of Money and there was a chapter about “never enough”, which was about the importance of knowing you’re enough. If you don’t know you’re enough, you keep moving the goalposts and reduce your happiness for what you actually have. How do you manage a work-life balance? I choose not to overthink it. I don’t buy into “mum guilt” and I think it’s completely acceptable to eat eggs on toast for dinner multiple times a week. It probably helps that I grew up with a working mum from when I was six months old, so two working parents and the chaos that follows is normal to me. I have two small children and a husband who does FIFO. I also have two needy dogs and five Chinese silkies (chickens). I can’t do it all on my own and I don’t try. I have an incredibly supportive family and girlfriends with small kids, most of whom also have partners who do FIFO. So when the dads are away, we come together like an extended family. It takes a village. What’s something that others have underestimated about you? I’m resilient — when I get knocked down, I get back up again! What drives you to succeed? Firstly, I don’t like being told what to do so I soon realised I’d better work really hard so that I can have a job that provides a lot of autonomy. Secondly, I genuinely enjoy my work. I think if you love what you do, it doesn’t feel hard or like work and therefore you are more likely to spend more time doing it which makes you better at it. Favourite holiday destination? I feel like you can’t beat Rotto — especially with little kids. It’s easy, relaxing, best beaches in the world and life is carefree. Perfection! Chocolate or cheese? Why choose just one? But if I had to it would be chocolate — I pretty much live off it. Read any good books lately? I read for escapism and can’t go past a Liane Moriarty novel. Easy to read, always entertaining. I just read Apples Never Fall but favourites would be The Husband’s Secret and Big Little Lies. What are you binge-watching right now? I just finished watching All the Light We Cannot See on Netflix. If you were to invite three dinner guests, dead or alive, who would they be? I would have four and invite all my grandparents who died some time ago. They have never met my kids and three of the fournever met my husband. I wish I had asked them more questions when they were alive. I want to hear all their stories, especially about their own childhood. What was the last band you paid to see? Rufus Du Sol back in December 2022. Childhood hero? Penny from Inspector Gadget. She’s the epitome of humility, always helping her uncle out but never taking the credit. Who would play you in the movie of your life story? My daughter, Sage.

INSIDER: Q&A with Andrea Chapman, executive general manager of people at Mineral Resources

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