Launched on International Women’s Day 2024, National Association of Women in Operations’ 100 Women in Operations campaign has grown into a powerful Wall of Fame recognising women across the full spectrum of operational careers – from frontline delivery to senior leadership.

Today, we proudly welcome Kamini Wijekulasuriya to the NAWO 100 Women in Operations Wall of Fame.

Kamini is Operations Manager, Metal Coating Lines at BlueScope’s Port Kembla Steelworks, leading a 24/7 team of 130 people across three metal coating lines. Her role sits at the centre of safety and production performance, quality tons and people leadership.

A Chemical Engineering graduate from University of Sydney, Kamini relocated to Wollongong to begin her career in steelmaking. She has since built extensive experience across operations, maintenance and technical management, including industrial relations and commercial negotiation.

Her career spans across many areas in the steel making process. In her early career she spent most of her time within the Coke and Ironmaking operations which included stevedoring activities at the Bulk Berth. Her passion was coke making and blast furnace optimisation, with a focus on raw material quality and process efficiency. Part of her move to the operations manager roles saw her develop her industrial relations and commercial negotiations skills within a complex operational setting.

More recently she has led a team that operate three metal coating lines that focus on producing the COLORBOND® steel feed, TRUECORE® and bare ZINCALUME® and GALVABOND® steel.

At every stage, Kamini’s curiosity and drive has stepped into new areas of the business to deepen her understanding of how operations connect; from raw material inputs to finished product performance, and from workforce capability to commercial outcomes.

She is committed to developing high-performing teams and creating clear pathways for career progression. Her leadership values include respect, cultural understanding and inclusion. She initiates innovative solutions for performance and process improvement.  She champions diversity encouraging women, First Nations employees and diverse communities within the workforce to strive for and achieve their career goals.

Kamini was nominated for:

  • Extensive operational leadership across steelmaking and stevedoring
  • Driving high-performance teams while strengthening an inclusive workplace culture
  • Demonstrating what women can achieve in operational careers

Kamini embodies what this campaign stands for – women leading operations, delivering results and shaping the future of industry.

As we reach this milestone, the campaign will evolve in look and feel, but the purpose remains unchanged: recognising women in operations and making their career pathways visible for others to follow.

Congratulations, Kamini – our 100th Woman in Operations. 🌟