Re Directorate

Rio Tinto PLC
24 November 2000



                 RETIREMENT OF RIO TINTO DIRECTOR GORDON SAGE                 

 
Gordon Sage, chief executive of Industrial Minerals, will retire from Rio
Tinto at the end of the year.
 
Gordon has had a highly successful career with the group over more than 30
years. He was appointed Industrial Minerals director of Rio Tinto plc and a
director of Rio Tinto Limited in 1995. Prior to that he was chief executive
of RTZ Pillar for six years.
 
Following his retirement, responsibility for the Industrial Minerals Group
will be restructured. Argyle Diamonds, Ashton, Diavik and Dampier Salt will
transfer to the renamed Diamonds, Gold and Other Products Group under its
chief executive Jonathan Leslie.
 
Tom Albanese, currently managing director of North Limited following its
acquisition by Rio Tinto, will be responsible for the restructured Industrial
Minerals Group. This will comprise Rio Tinto Borax, Rio Tinto Iron and
Titanium and Talc de Luzenac. Before his appointment to North, Tom was vice
president, Engineering and Technical Services, at Kennecott Utah Copper in
the US.
 

Note to editors

 
Jonathan Leslie: Jonathan joined Rio Tinto in 1977. He was appointed mining
director of Rio Tinto plc in 1994 and a director of Rio Tinto Limited in
1995. He is chief executive of the Gold & Other Minerals Product Group. He is
also a director of Lihir Gold Limited and chairman of Anglesey Aluminium
Limited.
 
Tom Albanese: Before joining Rio Tinto, Tom held a number of positions with
Anaconda Copper and Nerco Minerals. Following the acquisition of Nerco by
Kennecott in 1993, Tom took up the position of general manager of the Greens
Creek mine. In 1995 he transferred to Rio Tinto's headquarters in London as
group exploration executive. He returned to the US in 1998 to take up his
position with Kennecott Utah Copper.
 
For further information, please contact:
     
Media Relations                     Investor Relations 
 
Lisa Cullimore                      Peter Jarvis
+ 44 (0) 20 7753 2305               + 44 (0) 20 7753 2401
 
Website: www.riotinto.com