Rio Tinto clinches accolade at SBR Management Excellence Awards 2024

The multinational metals and mining company was given recognition for its Accelerated Leadership Development Programme (ALDP).

Rio Tinto won the Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year - Metals & Mining category at the SBR Management Excellence Awards 2024, which honoured the company for accelerating Asian talent development globally through the ALDP programme.

Global immersive learning for Asian leaders

Introduced in 2022 as a signature leadership development programme, ALDP carries a vision to advance Asian leadership representation across Rio Tinto. It reflects the need to better represent the key Asian markets in which Rio Tinto operates and aligns with the company’s broader goals of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as a culture of Care, Courage, and Curiosity.

ALDP is not a typical training programme. With executive sponsorship from Rio Tinto’s Executive Committee, the programme combines a robust mix of 70% experience, 20% exposure, and 10% education. The experience component provides participants with cross-functional business exposure through site visits and strategic group projects, allowing them to tackle real business challenges. The exposure aspect includes one-on-one career sponsorship with senior global leaders, an expanded network, and unique opportunities such as a Career Panel, alumni network, and Business Strategy sharing led by internal leaders. Furthermore, the education portion features a structured learning journey curated internally and externally by world-class educators, along with learning materials and self-reflection tools for continuous development.

The programme also includes two weeks of immersion sessions held in Perth and London, bringing participants together for a mix of leadership development, global business learning, and networking opportunities. These experiences have been invaluable for fostering a sense of community and shared learning, with many participants attesting to it as the best training programme they have ever attended.

Finding better ways for talent development

Besides the impact on individual growth, ALDP is pivotal in Rio Tinto’s talent strategy. By promoting inclusive and diverse representation in leadership roles, the company is committed to finding better waysTM to develop and recognise its people.

In addition to ALDP, Rio Tinto is committed to nurturing our leaders at all levels, offering a number of different development programmes across its global operational assets and market. These programmes exemplify Rio Tinto’s commitment to leadership excellence. The company is committed to attracting, developing and retaining the right talent for the future of work, supporting employee well-being, purpose, and shared values whilst driving ambition to be the best operator and an employer of choice. By investing in its people, Rio Tinto is strengthening its culture of growth whilst ensuring that its people are equipped to meet the evolving needs of the business in today’s global market. 

The SBR Management Excellence Awards recognises the most exceptional business leaders, innovators, teams, and initiatives that drive growth and make a positive impact on both a company’s business operations and its people in Singapore.

The awards programme, which is now in its 10th year, not only acknowledges positive change but also honours those who have successfully propelled their companies to new heights of success whilst fostering a nurturing environment that positively influences their employees.

The SBR Management Excellence Awards is presented by Singapore Business Review Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2025 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's employee engagements and management initiatives, please contact Julie Anne Nuñez at [email protected].