Gaeleen Macpherson

A lifelong Northerner, Gaeleen began her HR and mining career in 1998 and has held progressively senior roles within the NWT’s diamond mining industry -- most notably as Vice President of Corporate Affairs with Dominion Diamond Mines and Head of People, Communities and Supply Chain at Rio Tinto’s Diavik Diamond Mine.

In 2025, she was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Strategic Infrastructure, Energy and Supply Chains for the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Gaeleen was recognized in 2018 by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum with the prestigious CIM-Bedford Canadian Young Mining Leaders Award. In 2022, Gaeleen also received the inaugural Women in Mining Award at the NWT MAX Awards where she was saluted as a trailblazer for women, Indigenous peoples and Northerners in the NWT mining industry.

Throughout her career, Gaeleen has taken a keen interest in the education, training, and advancement of NWT residents in the mining sector.