Karina Gistelinck is Asset President Potash at leading global resources company BHP. With a background in law and management consulting and over 20 years of experience in multinational organizations across Asia, Europe and the Americas, Karina brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role as leader of BHP’s Potash business in Canada.

Karina Gistelinck is a seasoned global executive of 20 years’ experience with a proven track record in the resources industry and hands-on experience in law practice and management consulting.

Her career began at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in Belgium where she led a number of M&A and antitrust cases. From there, she joined McKinsey & Company supporting strategic and operational improvement projects for high-profile mining, energy and pharmaceutical clients.

Returning to her native Brazil, Karina held General Manager roles at Vale leading the Performance Management and Procurement portfolios. Six years at Rio Tinto followed in Singapore and Quebec where she held roles overseeing strategy and business analysis as well as sales and marketing for various commodities across the globe.

Karina joined BHP in late 2021 as Vice President Strategy and Market Intelligence, based in Melbourne, Australia. In this role, she was instrumental in refreshing BHP’s global strategy. She was appointed Asset President Potash in late 2023 and is responsible for the delivery and ongoing operations of the company’s new Potash business in Saskatchewan, Canada.

A passionate and present leader, Karina draws on her extensive global experience to bring people together and solve the resources industry’s unique challenges.

Karina holds a Master of Laws and Economics from KU Leuven in Belgium and a Master of Laws from the University of Chicago. She speaks Portuguese, English, French, Dutch and Spanish.

Karina is the proud mother of three wonderful children and in her spare time, she enjoys spending time with them outdoors as well as travelling, playing music and cooking.