Anglo American leadership changes Bulk Commodities

RNS Number : 9813N

Anglo American PLC

05 October 2021

 

5 October 2021

Anglo American senior leadership changes

Anglo American plc ("Anglo American") announces a number of senior leadership changes. Seamus French has decided to leave Anglo American at the end of 2021 after 14 years with the company and will be replaced as CEO of Bulk Commodities by Themba Mkhwanazi, currently CEO of Kumba Iron Ore ("Kumba"). Mpumi Zikalala, currently Managing Director of De Beers Managed Operations, has been appointed as CEO of Kumba. Both appointments will take effect on 1 January 2022.  Mpumi's successor at De Beers Managed Operations will be confirmed in due course.

Mark Cutifani, Chief Executive of Anglo American, said: "We congratulate Themba Mkhwanazi and Mpumi Zikalala on their new roles. Themba will shape the strategy for our global iron ore, metallurgical coal and manganese interests. The premium quality of our steelmaking ingredients and the partnerships we will continue to build to develop cleaner steelmaking technologies have never been more critical as we work to tackle climate change. Mpumi's extensive operational experience at De Beers will be instrumental as she builds on Kumba's progress to drive sustained safe, world-class performance working closely with its strategic business partners.

"I am also delighted that,  together with Nolitha Fakude as chair of our management board in South Africa,  and Natascha Viljoen as CEO of our PGMs business, we will have three women of such high calibre leading our extensive interests in South Africa."

"We thank Seamus for his enormous contribution and unfailing commitment to Anglo American over 14 years, both as CEO of our coal businesses and in his more recent role leading our global bulks operations and strategy. His work to draw out considerable operational synergies and sharing of best-practice has enhanced our capabilities and been central to our performance improvements over many years. We wish him well."

In conjunction with these changes, Ruben Fernandes, CEO of Base Metals, will also take on accountability for the iron ore and the nickel operations in Brazil. As planned, the Quellaveco copper operation in Peru will also move to the Base Metals portfolio once it is commissioned. This streamlining of responsibilities will allow Ruben to maximise efficiencies across all of Anglo American's operations in South America, alongside his global strategic responsibilities for base metals.

For further information, please contact:

Media		Investors
UK James Wyatt-Tilby [e-mail] Tel: [phone] Marcelo Esquivel [e-mail] Tel: [phone] Katie Ryall [e-mail] Tel: [phone] South Africa Nevashnee Naicker [e-mail] Tel: [phone] Sibusiso Tshabalala [e-mail] Tel: [phone]		UK Paul Galloway [e-mail] Tel: [phone] Juliet Newth [e-mail] Tel: [phone] Michelle Jarman michelle.jarman @angloamerican.com   Tel: [phone]

Notes to editors:

Mpumi Zikalala

Nompumelelo "Mpumi" Zikalala, aged 42, was appointed Managing Director of De Beers Managed Operations in 2019, with responsibility for De Beers operations in South Africa and Canada. Mpumi began her career as a De Beers Group bursar and joined the company as a process engineer. She was appointed General Manager at De Beers' Kimberley Mines in 2007, becoming the company's first female General Manager. In 2010, she was appointed General Manager of Voorspoed mine and later became Senior Vice-President of De Beers Sightholder Sales South Africa, the company that sorts, values and sells all De Beers Group production in South Africa. In 2017, Mpumi was appointed Deputy MD of De Beers Consolidated Mines. Mpumi holds a BSc in chemical engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. She currently serves as a Trustee at the University of Johannesburg Trust and is also the Chairperson of the Private Sector Forum of SANAC (South African National AIDS Council). Mpumi previously served as a non-executive director of a number of organisations, including the Black Management Forum and Mintek.

Ruben Fernandes

Ruben Fernandes, age 56, was appointed CEO of Anglo American's Base Metals business in 2019, having previously served as CEO of Anglo American in Brazil since 2016 and CEO of Anglo American's Niobium & Phosphates businesses from 2012 to 2016. Prior to joining Anglo American in 2012, Ruben was head of mining at Votorantim Metals in Brazil, responsible for projects and exploration activities around the world, as well as operations in Peru and Colombia. Between 2009 and 2011, he was COO at Vale Fertilizers, responsible for the fertiliser operations, sales and marketing. Ruben was also CEO of Kaolin Companies - Pará Pigments and Cadam - two subsidiaries of Vale, between 2007 and 2009 having joined Vale's Base Metals business in 1999. A graduate in Metallurgical Engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Ruben also holds an MBA from the University of São Paulo, Brazil.

Themba Mkhwanazi

Themba Mkhwanazi, age 51, was appointed CEO of Kumba Iron Ore in 2016, having served as CEO of Anglo American's thermal coal business in South Africa since 2014. Prior to joining Anglo American, Themba was Regional General Manager for Technology and Innovation for the Americas for Rio Tinto. From 2011 to 2012, Themba worked at Rio Tinto's coal business in Australia to drive business improvement and operational excellence, and also served as COO of Richards Bay Minerals, a joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton in South Africa, from 2007. Themba serves as a non-executive director of Aspen Pharmacare Holdings, is Chairman of Mining Dialogues 360 and Vice President of the Minerals Council South Africa, where he also chairs the CEO Zero Harm Forum. In his new role, Themba will continue to serve on the board of Kumba Iron Ore, as a non-executive director. Mr Mkhwanazi holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Chemical Engineering from Teesside University, UK.

When the above leadership changes take effect, Anglo American's Group Management Committee will be formed as follows:

Mark Cutifani    Chief Executive

Stephen Pearce                       Finance Director

Tony O'Neill                          Technical Director

Anik Michaud                        Group Director - Corporate Relations and Sustainable Impact

Didier Charreton                    Group Director - People and Organisation

Duncan Wanblad                    Group Director - Strategy and Business Development

Nolitha Fakude                       Group Director - South Africa

Bruce Cleaver                         CEO - De Beers

Natascha Viljoen                     CEO - Platinum Group Metals

Peter Whitcutt                         CEO - Marketing

Ruben Fernandes                    CEO - Base Metals

Themba Mkhwanazi               CEO - Bulk Commodities

Richard Price                         General Counsel and Company Secretary

Anglo American is a leading global mining company and our products are the essential ingredients in almost every aspect of modern life. Our portfolio of world-class competitive operations, with a broad range of future development options, provides many of the future-enabling metals and minerals for a cleaner, greener, more sustainable world and that meet the fast growing every day demands of billions of consumers. With our people at the heart of our business, we use innovative practices and the latest technologies to discover new resources and to mine, process, move and market our products to our customers - safely and sustainably.

As a responsible producer of diamonds (through De Beers), copper, platinum group metals, premium quality iron ore and metallurgical coal for steelmaking, and nickel - with crop nutrients in development - we are committed to being carbon neutral across our operations by 2040. More broadly, our Sustainable Mining Plan commits us to a series of stretching goals to ensure we work towards a healthy environment, creating thriving communities and building trust as a corporate leader. We work together with our business partners and diverse stakeholders to unlock enduring value from precious natural resources for the benefit of the communities and countries in which we operate, for society as a whole, and for our shareholders. Anglo American is re-imagining mining to improve people's lives.

www.angloamerican.com

Forward-looking statements:

This announcement includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this announcement, including, without limitation, those regarding Anglo American's financial position, business, acquisition and divestment strategy, dividend policy, plans and objectives of management for future operations (including development plans and objectives relating to Anglo American's products, production forecasts and Ore Reserves and Mineral Resource estimates) and environmental, social and corporate governance goals and aspirations, are forward-looking statements. By their nature, such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Anglo American, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Such forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding Anglo American's present and future business strategies and the environment in which Anglo American will operate in the future. Important factors that could cause Anglo American's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among others, levels of actual production during any period, levels of global demand and commodity market prices, mineral resource exploration and development capabilities, recovery rates and other operational capabilities, safety, health or environmental incidents, the effects of global pandemics and outbreaks of infectious diseases, the outcome of litigation or regulatory proceedings, the availability of mining and processing equipment, the ability to produce and transport products profitably, the availability of transportation infrastructure, the impact of foreign currency exchange rates on market prices and operating costs, the availability of sufficient credit, the effects of inflation, political uncertainty and economic conditions in relevant areas of the world, the actions of competitors, activities by courts, regulators and governmental authorities such as in relation to permitting or forcing closure of mines and ceasing of operations or maintenance of Anglo American's assets and changes in taxation or safety, health, environmental or other types of regulation in the countries where Anglo American operates, conflicts over land and resource ownership rights and such other risk factors identified in Anglo American's most recent Annual Report. Forward-looking statements should, therefore, be construed in light of such risk factors and undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. Anglo American expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking (except as required by applicable law, the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers, the UK Listing Rules, the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority, the Listings Requirements of the securities exchange of the JSE Limited in South Africa, the SIX Swiss Exchange, the Botswana Stock Exchange and the Namibian Stock Exchange and any other applicable regulations) to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Anglo American's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Nothing in this announcement should be interpreted to mean that future earnings per share of Anglo American will necessarily match or exceed its historical published earnings per share.

Certain statistical and other information about Anglo American included in this announcement is sourced from publicly available third-party sources. As such, it has not been independently verified and presents the views of those third parties, though these may not necessarily correspond to the views held by Anglo American and Anglo American expressly disclaims any responsibility for, or liability in respect of, such information.

Legal Entity Identifier: 549300S9XF92D1X8ME43

 

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