Anglo American metallurgical coal chief executive officer Seamus French told the packed Australian Women in Resources Alliance (AWRA) conference that attracting more female employees was a top corporate priority for the giant, calling them a source of fresh ideas, innovation and skills.

"Traditionally, finding people for our future projects would mainly focus on the very competitive and limited Queensland underground coal mining pool and this approach just isn't going to cut it anymore," French said at today's 2013 AWRA Conference, the first national event dedicated to increasing women's participation in the resource industry.

"Diversity gives us the opportunity to grow the resourcing pool rather than fishing it dry, and to make this happen we are creating an inclusive culture which embraces all employees, no matter their gender, ethnicity, age or religion."

French said the representation of women in Anglo American's metallurgical coal workforce had increased by 32% since 2010. Today, 12% of its mine site employees are women with the target of increasing female representation to 20% by 2018.

"There is not one quick fix so our diversity action plan has covered educating our leaders, setting targets for the number of women we recruit, building partnerships with schools and universities and supporting the women we already employ through mentoring and development opportunities," Mr French said.

The resource industry has a collective goal to increase the proportion of women in resource employment from 15% to 25% by 2020.

AWRA is an initiative facilitated by Australian Mines and Metals Association in partnership with the Australian government.

The conference features presentations from leading resource companies and diversity experts exploring practical solutions to the attraction and retention of women.

The 2013 AMMA National Conference, the resource industry's biggest annual conference, begins tomorrow.