Mining giant Rio Tinto will form an Indigenous advisory group in a bid to strengthen its relationships with traditional land owners and reassure investors it will not repeat the widely condemned destruction of 46,000 year old caves at Juukan Gorge.

In a series of virtual seminars on Tuesday, top Rio Tinto executives and board members outlined new ways they intended to improve the company’s approach to cultural heritage and rebuild meaningful relationships with First Nations communities in the hope of mending its badly damaged reputation.

“I am committed to making these improvements,” Rio’s new chief executive Jakob Stausholm said.

“This will not be easy. This is the start of a long journey.”

Rio Tinto’s blasting of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters, against the wishes of the land’s traditional owners, sparked a global outcry leading to the resignations of chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques and two of his deputies last year, while Rio chairman Simon Thompson will step down in coming months.

Rio’s new Indigenous advisory group, to consist of 5-8 members, will point out gaps in the company’s existing protocols for managing Indigenous cultural heritage, ensure a better understanding of Indigenous culture and issues across the business including at board level, and provide a “clear pathway” to re-establish trust over time, the company said.

“We must focus on real engagement with our communities, understanding their felt experience and never forgetting that, ultimately, we are guests on their land,” Mr Stausholm said.

Superannuation fund HESTA, which has been leading a group of investors’ engagement with the miner on First Nations issues, said Rio Tinto was “at the start of a very long process of rebuilding trust”.

“It will require long-term commitment to deep-seated cultural change and strong frameworks and processes in place to support genuine, open and ongoing partnership with Indigenous communities,” HESTA chief executive Debby Blakey said.