Ben Proudfoot knows all about connection. From growing up in Pottsville NSW, about 130 kilometres from the nearest city, to surfing around Australia and now as the Indigenous Engagement Manager at Whitehaven, it’s connection that has been at the core of everything he’s done.
Born in Casino, Ben and his family grew up in Pottsville in northern NSW.
“It was a pretty isolated, small coastal town and at that time the closest city was Brisbane, 130 kilometres away.
“My dad’s family were dairy farmers around Murwillumbah and were fortunate enough to grow up in Pottsville.”
Growing up in a smaller town sport played a big role in Ben’s childhood. He enjoyed hockey, rugby league, union, soccer and swimming but it was surfing that quickly became his favourite.
“I’ve always loved sport,” he said. “Surfing, swimming, running. I just enjoy being active.”
By his late teens and early twenties, Ben was competing professionally, travelling to surf competitions around Australia and building friendships with people from across the world.
Still a keen surfer, Ben was the Australian Longboard Champion in the Over-40s division in 2025 and runner up in 2026.
After competing in the Noosa Festival of Surfing at age 21, a visit to a friend in Perth changed the course of his life.
Ben didn’t get into mining straight away; he worked in architecture and design before some of his mates working in mining encouraged him to try his hand at the mining industry, something he hadn’t really considered.
He did, starting with Fortescue Metals as a grade control specialist at Christmas Creek in the Pilbara.
“It felt like I was crossing to the dark side.
“You hear a lot of perceptions about mining until you actually experience it for yourself.”
Ben used his connections to explore a number of different opportunities and expose himself to as much of the industry as he could. He worked in exploration and mine development and saw firsthand the complexities of operating in remote environments.
His own cultural heritage also played a role. Ben’s mother is a Coodjinburra (Tweed Coast) woman of the Bundjalung Nation so he was able to draw on his cultural roots while working with Traditional Owners in the industry.
After 18 months, Ben moved into mine planning before an opportunity arose in community and Indigenous engagement. Based in Port Hedland, he spent five years working across the Pilbara, engaging with Traditional Owner groups and local communities.
“It was such a fantastic opportunity,” he said.
“You were working with some of the most sophisticated and complex Native Title groups in Australia, where people are still fortunate to be practising lore and culture and speaking their traditional language with English as second language, which made the work challenging but also extremely humbling.”
While he was working in Port Hedland, Ben met his wife Jess who is a cultural heritage specialist with BHP. After five years with Fortescue it was time for the couple to move closer to home. Jess secured a transfer to Brisbane and Ben also joined BHP.
He brought with him a lot of things he learnt in the Pilbara and credits a lot of what he does now to what he learnt in those first couple of years in mining.
Ben recalls driving between towns across the Pilbara and stopping in to check on people, sometimes for a quick five-minute chat and other times for several hours.
“Those conversations help you understand what people’s aspirations are and what’s really important to them. An Elder once said to me, ‘Business is a soulless beast, but it’s the people who make it up.’ That’s always stayed with me.”
With BHP, Ben worked in cultural heritage and Indigenous engagement across NSW and Queensland. He later moved into a global Indigenous engagement leadership role, helping integrate teams and support workforce transitions during major organisational changes.
He was there for five years until a call came from Whitehaven.
Ben has been with the team for two years now leading Indigenous engagement across Whitehaven’s Queensland operations. The role also includes supporting agreement-making, cultural heritage management and developing long-term partnerships with Traditional Owners.
“Our team is essentially the go-between for Whitehaven and the Indigenous communities where we operate.
“It’s about listening, building relationships, helping connect people to opportunities and ensuring Indigenous perspectives help inform the way we work and make decisions.”
Ben has always thought one of the most rewarding aspects of his work is seeing the positive outcomes flow back into communities.
“For some people, employment opportunities the business provides may be their first exposure to long-term work and the opportunity to be in control of their own destiny.
“You see people gain skills and confidence that can create intergenerational change for their families and community.
“I’ve always believed in the positive impact that responsible mining can have through employment, business opportunities and community partnerships.”
