INTHEBLACK June 2025 - Magazine - Page 34
MEMBER PROFILE
“It’s pretty easy in our industry to recruit operators, engineers and geologists
for environments like this, because it is part of the mining job description.
But getting finance people on board is a much tougher sell.”
STRIKING GOLD
Bernal successfully escaped the threat
in Sumatra and, while it is a long way from
the start of his career as an auditor for
BDO and PwC, he says he knew from
the beginning that the mining and resource
sector would provide him with a rewarding
and challenging career.
“I’ve always had an interest in the resources
sector,” he says. “As an auditor, I serviced
mining, oil and gas clients, which made
me realise I wanted to transition into that
industry. However, I first needed to
understand the distinct accounting practices
and risk exposure in the sector.”
While he may not have been aware exactly
how those risks might extend to his personal
safety, the experience did not deter Bernal
from again working on a mining site deep
in the jungle.
He moved to Australian company
OZ Minerals Brazil (formerly Avanco
Resources Limited) in 2015, and found
himself in the Amazon jungle at the Carajás
mine site in northern Brazil, developing
financial governance, overseeing the finance
department and leading Enterprise Resource
Planning implementation.
It was a role that presented a new set
of challenges — convincing people to join
him deep in the jungle to set up a mining
business from ground zero.
“Persuading finance professionals
and accountants to work and live in the
jungle was certainly an interesting challenge,”
he says.
“It’s pretty easy in our industry to
recruit operators, engineers and geologists
for environments like this, because it
is part of the mining job description. But
getting finance people on board is a much
tougher sell.”
ACQUIRING NEW SKILLS
Fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English,
Bernal credits his language skills as a key
ONE PIECE OF ADVICE
Never stop learning
“In finance, it’s not just about
completing your degree or earning
a CPA designation — it’s about
continuous learning for personal
and professional growth. Whether
it’s staying current with tax laws
and accounting standards, embracing
new technologies and systems,
learning a new language, mastering
presentation skills or leveraging
AI tools to enhance your work,
these elements all contribute to
being an up-to-date and integral
finance professional.”
34 INTHEBLACK June 2025
