Women not ‘ confident’

RIO Tinto boss Sam Walsh is looking to fill the company’s senior ranks with more women, but says female employees need to be more confident. With 82 per cent of the mining giant’s workforce made up of men, Mr Walsh has acknowledged that the gender gap needs to be closed, especially within Rio’s senior management ranks. “One of the biggest challenges is that you throw a job opportunity at a bloke and he says, ‘ I can do that, I’ve got all the background, I know exactly what I should do’,” Mr Walsh told a mining dinner in London. “You throw the same opportunity at a woman and ... well ` I’ve never done that before, it would be a huge stretch’, and what- have- you.”