Appointment of new director

Rio Tinto PLC
06 June 2006



Rio Tinto appoints new director


Rio Tinto is pleased to announce that Michael Fitzpatrick was today appointed an
independent, non executive director of Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Limited with
immediate effect.


Michael, who is 53 and an Australian, holds honours degrees in electrical
engineering from the University of Western Australia and in arts from Oxford
University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.


He recently sold his interest in, and ceased to be a director of, Hastings Funds
Management Ltd., the pioneering infrastructure asset management company which he
founded in 1994.  He is chairman of the Victorian Funds Management Corporation,
which manages funds on behalf of the State of Victoria, and of Treasury Group
Limited, an incubator of fund management companies.  Michael also holds a number
of other non executive directorships.


He is a commissioner of the Australian Football League having previously played
the game professionally, and is a former chairman of the Australian Sports
Commission.



For further information, please contact:

LONDON                                               AUSTRALIA

Media Relations                                      Media Relations
Nick Cobban                                          Ian Head
Office:  [phone]                        Office:  [phone]
Mobile: [phone]                         Mobile: [phone]

Investor Relations                                   Investor Relations
Nigel Jones                                          Dave Skinner
Office: [phone]                         Office:  [phone]
Mobile: [phone]                         Mobile: [phone]


David Ovington                                       Susie Creswell
Office:  [phone]                        Office:  [phone]
Mobile: [phone]                         Mobile: [phone]

Website: www.riotinto.com





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