Update re. Nickel, Niobium & Phosphates businesses

RNS Number : 5283Q

Anglo American PLC

15 October 2013

 



15 October 2013
Anglo American appoints Ruben Fernandes as CEO of its Nickel, Niobium and Phosphates businesses

Anglo American plc ("Anglo American") announces the appointment of Mr Ruben Fernandes as CEO of its Nickel, Niobium and Phosphates businesses, with effect 1 December 2013, following Anglo American's decision to combine the management of the three commodity businesses. Walter De Simoni, CEO of the Nickel business since 2009, has decided to leave Anglo American to pursue other opportunities. Ruben Fernandes, currently CEO of Anglo American's Niobium and Phosphates businesses, will report to Duncan Wanblad, CEO of the Base Metals and Minerals group.

Duncan Wanblad, Anglo American's CEO of Base Metals and Minerals, said: "Ruben Fernandes has already made a significant contribution to the Niobium and Phosphates businesses. His strong leadership and commercial acumen will help him successfully combine the management of Nickel, Niobium and Phosphates as we create optimal value through improved performance."

Ruben Fernandes commented: "I am delighted to take up my new role as CEO of Nickel, Niobium and Phosphates. I look forward to working with our people to create an effective and efficient combined management team to build upon the recent progress made to turn around the Nickel business and to continue the improved performance in Niobium and Phosphates."

Mark Cutifani, Chief Executive of Anglo American, said: "I congratulate Ruben Fernandes on his appointment to head the Nickel, Niobium and Phosphates businesses. I expect his leadership and expertise across the Brazilian mining industry will enable us to realise the full potential of our well differentiated assets. I would like to thank Walter De Simoni for his 36 years of dedication to Anglo American, the last four of which as CEO of Nickel. Walter joined Anglo American as a Mining Engineer in 1978 and has worked tirelessly to build up our nickel operations in South America, achieving outstanding results and recognition for safety and sustainability, particularly during the development of the complex Barro Alto nickel project. We wish him well for the next stage of his career."

Notes to editors:

Ruben Fernandes, age 48, joined Anglo American in 2012, having been 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, and held various analysis, marketing and project roles in Vale's Base Metals business which he joined in 1999. Between 1988 and 1998, he held several leadership roles in the special alloys industry. A graduate in Metallurgical Engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Ruben also holds an MBA from the University of São Paulo.

Anglo American is one of the world's largest mining companies, is headquartered in the UK and listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges. Our portfolio of mining businesses meets our customers' changing needs and spans bulk commodities - iron ore and manganese, metallurgical coal and thermal coal; base metals and minerals - copper, nickel, niobium and phosphates; and precious metals and minerals - in which we are a global leader in both platinum and diamonds.  At Anglo American, we are committed to working together with our stakeholders - our investors, our partners and our employees - to create sustainable value that makes a real difference, while upholding the highest standards of safety and responsibility across all our businesses and geographies. The company's mining operations, pipeline of growth projects and exploration activities span southern Africa, South America, Australia, North America, Asia and Europe.

www.angloamerican.com

For further information, please contact:

Media		Investors
UK James Wyatt-Tilby Tel: [phone]		UK Paul Galloway Tel: [phone]
Emily Blyth Tel: [phone]		Caroline Crampton Tel: [phone]
South Africa Pranill Ramchander Tel: [phone]		Sarah McNally Tel: [phone]

 

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