Heading up a modern mining operation among the dramatic mesas of the inland Pilbara can seem a world away from spearfishing at Roebuck Bay.

But after more than a decade rising through the ranks at Fortescue Metals Group, it is where Rosli Wheelock has landed with a keen sense of pride and drive to lead.

Mr Wheelock was in January appointed general manager at Fortescue's new Eliwana iron ore mine near Tom Price, the first Indigenous man to gain such a role.

He singled out safety, workplace culture and team development as areas core to his beliefs as a leader, alongside ensuring the mine hits production targets.

"Keeping eachother safe and meeting our production targets is what we're here to do, so I think if you focus on the people and the culture, the rest will come," Mr Wheelock said.

"Giving the required attention to developing people is what makes any operation successful, and it's something that I enjoy working with the team on.

"We have some amazing, highly capable Aboriginal leaders at Fortescue, and encouraging more Aboriginal brothers and sisters into leadership is a huge focus from the leadership team.

Mr Wheelock's road to Fortescue reads much like many Kimberley kids of his generation.

The Wajarri man grew up in Broome where he spent his days tearing around town fishing at Roebuck Bay and eating the plentiful boabs, mangoes and tamarinds.

That classic Broome upbringing continued into his early work, where he got involved in the hard yakka work of the region's famous pearling industry, which is where he first developed an interest in mining.

"I was always really curious about all mining activities and always put my hand up for different roles, from operating machinery, working with survey, to working with the geology," he said.

"I recognised quite early on that I like to work with people, so it was a natural progression for me to move from doing technical roles into management roles."

With 23 years under his belt, Mr Wheelock has experienced the heady days of the boom, the uncertainty that followed and, more recently, the strong resurgence.

On the cyclical nature of mining he is circumspect - pointing to the significant technological changes undertaken in the industry, and improvements in employee wellbeing and inclusion among improvements during his time.

"I think the engagement that we get with people in the workforce is a lot different these days," he said.

"It is highly encouraged now for the workforce to come up with ideas and it can be anything from improving sfatey, productivity initiatives to improving culture and diversity."

For Mr Wheelock himself the learning process is far from over. As well as taking on the General Manager role at Fortescue, he is undertaking a global executive MBA course at the University of Sydney.