Lia Vangelatos remembers her first job interview, as a teenager at Anglo American in 1979, as if it happened yesterday. Vangelatos recalls the head of human resources setting out the company's operational structure and rules, listing what was expected of employees, including the dress code, which forbade trousers and miniskirts. "I thought I'd better listen to all this," she says. As one of Anglo's longest-serving employees, Vangelatos was a participant in 38 of its often turbulent 100 years. During nearly four decades with the company she has worked under five executive chairmen and CEOs, and seen the company go through a number of major transformations as it has adapted to changing economic and legislative imperatives. But despite the upheavals and a slightly less stringent dress code, the working culture remains largely unchanged. Vangelatos says the emphasis has always been on doing what is required and getting it right - the first time. There has never been room for mediocrity....
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