Stephanie Black was inspired to join the coal mining industry by her mum and grandfather, two titans of the industry. Today, she not only knows the ins and outs of the industry better than most, but she’s passing that knowledge onto the next generation.
Steph’s grandfather, Dan Gray, was a leading Newcastle coal and shipping agent who started his career in 1931 with Hebburn Collieries. He then became the manager of the company in 1953 and retained that position until 1967.
Steph’s mum Irene worked in the logistics chain and worked tirelessly to ensure the coal industry’s success was recognised and celebrated.
In 2013, Steph co-founded Coal Port Services with husband Andrew, a reinvigorated version of Gray & Timmins that goes back three generations. She also has Asia Pacific Carbon Connect to her name and spent several years working for various other companies.
One day Steph’s friend and colleague Samuel McSkimming mentioned she should pass her knowledge onto the next generation.
“I was fortunate enough when I started in the industry I got lots of on-the-ground experience. Newcomers to the industry these days just weren’t getting that exposure to the coal chain apart from the job they were in,” Steph said.
“It wasn’t common practice to go and see a site or visit a port to see how things worked. The biggest thing though? They didn’t have a network like my generation. So, it was time to rectify all of that!”
Steph used the network she had built over the years to get the ball rolling. Sally Hewson, General Manager – Logistics at Whitehaven Coal and Nerida Slee, Group Manager Mid-Office Marketing at Yancoal Australia were her first port of call.
“We sat down over lunch and thought about all the things we could expose a group to and scribbled out a wish list on sheets of paper. Then I went out to all the people who I thought would be good ‘masterclass facilitators’ and away we went.
“I said to them ‘can you please just give me 90 minutes of your time and trust me this will be a good thing!’ and they did.”
Steph thought the first year of the Emerging Leaders Program was either going to wreck her career or be the best thing she’d ever done. No surprises it was the latter.
“Our first session was with Paul Flynn, the CEO of Whitehaven and Nick Jorss from Bowen Coking Coal. I consulted a psychologist about how to set it up so we sat in a big circle with nowhere to hide putting everyone on an equal playing field and it turned out to be the best thing!
“It’s so important for young people to hear from CEO’s and senior industry figures about their career paths and that it is often not a straight line to arrive at where they are today!”
There is someone from every part of the industry involved in the program and this year Paul Flynn was involved again, leaders from Yancoal and Commodity Insights, Rebecca Rinaldi from New Hope talking finance and her journey in the industry, Renata Roberts from Bloomfield discussing leadership and many more.
MACH Energy has sponsored the program for the last three years and as part of their involvement facilitate a site visit to their Mt Pleasant operation. The leaders also see the other end of coal production visiting three ports including Port Waratah and Port Kembla.
Each cohort is also named after someone who gave so much to the industry. Last year it was Tony Page, this year was Steph’s mother Irene Gray and next year is named after Reinhold Schmidt.
“Heading into the 2026 Emerging Leaders Program I have not had a single person say no to facilitating a session and being part of it. That is a testament to the calibre of the leaders of our industry – that they are so willingly to give back by sharing their time and expertise,” Steph reflected.
This year’s cohort and masterclass facilitators had nothing but wonderful things to say about the Emerging Leaders Program.
Bayley Lynch – Officer at Whitehaven for Scheduling and Coal Quality
It was an exceptional opportunity that provided access to industry leaders and perspectives we wouldn’t normally engage with in our day-to-day roles. Learning from their insights into the industry as well as their personal career journeys was priceless.
One of the most meaningful outcomes for me was the relationships built with the other Emerging Leaders. While each of us walked away with different lessons and experiences, the connections we formed will be incredibly useful as we continue to grow our careers as leaders in the coal industry.
Sienna Linforth – Undergraduate Mechanical Engineer
I thought the program was exceptional. It provided rare exposure across the entire energy supply chain: from production to rail and port operations, through to marketing and trading. Seeing the full picture was incredibly valuable, especially when the production sector alone can feel so vast.
It also offered meaningful opportunities to network and receive mentoring from some of the industry’s most respected leaders. Hearing their personal career journeys was grounding and inspiring.
My favourite moment was simply spending time with the group, especially sitting by the beach after our visit to Bluescope sharing fish and chips with the other Emerging Leaders. It was relaxed and genuine, and it really cemented the sense of community within our cohort.
Josh Carneiro – Senior Environmental Advisor, New Hope Group
It was amazing. The experience provided through visiting power stations, ports, mine sites, and loading facilities is second to none. It made me truly appreciate the complex nature and size of the business we work in.
Being up close to an operational bucket wheel stacker reclaimer left me in awe of the actual size and volumes of coal the equipment handles. Networking and having access to industry leader’s insight, stories and careers.
Danny McCarthy – Managing Director TerraCom
Being part of the APCC Emerging Leaders program was a genuine privilege. You do not often get a room of young leaders who are as engaged, curious and hungry to grow as this group. The energy in the room was real and they were willing to lean in and push themselves, which makes the whole experience worthwhile.
I think they walked away with a clearer view of what leadership actually demands. Not the textbook version. The real version. The version where responsibility sits with you and you cannot hide behind structure or process. They saw that leadership is about stepping in, setting standards and owning outcomes even when the pressure is high.
Passing on what I have learned is something I take seriously. Experience wasted is experience lost.
Chris Thoroughgood – General Manager Marketing and Logistics, MACH Energy
The program is critical to show our up and coming leaders and leaders of the future that there is a long and respected career in coal and for MACH to ensure that our asset is in the best hands over our long life.
The coal industry has lacked a proper structured mentor program industry wide that allows our skilled colleagues to see a pathway to growth. This program involves leaders from the highest level willingly providing support and guidance for the industry. The ability for participants to see the journeys of all the senior mentors helps shape our leaders of the future and let them realise that we all started and grew in the same way.
We also hope that the young leaders recognise that the coal network from senior level down is collaborative and collegiate and that the networks built today will be lifelong.
