Ron McNeilly Resigns

BHP Billiton Limited
16 October 2001

    BHP Billiton Limited is issuing this announcement to fulfil disclosure
 obligations arising from its secondary listing on the London Stock Exchange.

   The text of this release is identical to that issued by BHP Billiton Plc
                                   earlier.



Date: 16 October 2001

Number: 20/01



                 BHP Billiton DIRECTOR RESIGNS - RON MCNEILLY



BHP Billiton announced Executive Director Global Markets Ron McNeilly would
retire from the Board at the conclusion of today's BHP Billiton Limited Annual
General Meeting.



Mr McNeilly was appointed to the BHP Board in 1991 and is the Group's longest
serving director. He joined BHP as an 18-year old Commercial Trainee and,
during 40 years of service to the Company, has acted as the head of Transport,
Steel and, more recently, Minerals.



BHP Billiton Chairman Don Argus paid tribute to Mr McNeilly and wished him
well for the future. Mr Argus said: 'This is an appropriate time for me to
thank Ron, on behalf of my Board colleagues and all shareholders, for his
service to BHP and, in more recent months, BHP Billiton.



'Ron acted as the Company's Chief Operating Officer during most of 1998 before
Paul Anderson joined us.  This was a particularly difficult time, made
considerably easier by Ron's leadership throughout that period.  He assumed
responsibility for the Minerals Division in January 1999 and headed that group
through to the completion of the merger.'



Mr McNeilly will continue to see through his merger integration
responsibilities and will leave BHP Billiton at the end of this calendar year.
As recently announced, Mr McNeilly will be Deputy Chairman of BHP Steel
Limited when that new Company is publicly listed next year.



                                     ****

Further news and information can be found on our Internet site:
www.bhpbilliton.com


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