Jessica van Onselen is an accomplished communications advisor with deep experience in mining. She began her career at gold mining major AngloGold Ashanti in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she worked from 2005 to 2013, working extensively on sustainability issues and political risk management. In her final role she was head of Public Affairs for the African region, leading government relations and external affairs. Seconded to the World Gold Council in London between 2011 and 2012, Ms. van Onselen worked with the WGC’s Responsible Gold team to develop the organization’s Conflict Free Gold Standard. In 2013, she became an independent consultant and worked with the African Union and the African Minerals Development Centre, in Addis Ababa, extensively from 2014 to 2016. Later, she spent several years on the Mineral Production Monitoring Support Programme in Zambia. This EU-funded project focussed on strengthening the integrity of production data in Zambia’s mining sector, particularly copper. She has also worked as a communications advisor on projects in Mozambique, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Mali. Ms. van Onselen founded her own company BrightGuide Africa in 2020, a niche communications firm based in the United Kingdom. Most recently, she worked as the communications and marketing advisor for the non-profit Development Partner Institute for Mining (DPI Mining). Currently, she is the Communications and Marketing Director at Apolitical, a London based tech-start up supporting public servants and governments. Ms. van Onselen studied at the University of the Witwatersrand and Wits Business School in South Africa, where she was awarded both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree.