That was the message from Australian Coal Association CEO Nikki Williams, keynote speaker for the Women in Mining Day event at Asia-Pacific’s International Mining Exhibition Wednesday.

While the mining industry remains male-dominated, the conference session was filled with women at Sydney Showground.

Williams said to reach the top of their profession, women had to work hard, long hours, admitting she had not had much of a work-life balance.

“It's a difficult choice, I don't believe in superwomen, something is always sacrificed,” she said.

“Your marriage, your partner, parenting or work at some point will be compromised. It's a really tough gig to juggle that.”

Williams’ first marriage ended when her child was just seven months old. She was a single parent for 13 years.

“It was tough, no compromises were made because I was female or had a child. Partly that was my fault, I continued to work like I didn't have a son,” she added.

Williams has spent her entire career working in the mining and resources industries.

She was the first woman to work on the oil rigs in the Bass Straight, located north of Tasmania, and the world’s first female coal trader.

Previously working at Shell International, Williams was responsible for trading 15 million tonnes of coal in the early 1990s.

“Talented women who understand the mining business intimately, who can innovate, who can work through inevitable obstacles and can articulate a clear vision for the business, will have enormous opportunities and a stellar professional life,” she said.

Williams said women should be true to themselves and respect their femininity when working in a male-dominated workforce.

“I've seen many women over the years try to cloak that dimension of themselves, which is a tremendous mistake,” she said.

“Women must retain their authenticity. If you're not genuine about showing who you are, people will not be confident that you truly believe in things you're pushing for the business.”