Rio Tinto said Dec. 4 that it appointed Simon Thompson as its next chairman, to succeed Jan du Plessis in the position.
The appointment will take effect March 5, 2018.
Rio Tinto confirmed earlier in the year that du Plessis will retire as chairman of the mining giant and take the helm at BT Group Plc.
Thompson joined the Rio Tinto board as a nonexecutive director in 2014, and previously held a number of senior positions with Anglo American Plc. He also served as a nonexecutive director for AngloGold Ashanti Ltd., United Co. Rusal Plc and Newmont Mining Corp..
Thompson has been chairman of 3i Group Plc since 2015 and was chairman of Tullow Oil plc from 2012 to 2017.
Upon assuming the chairman role, Thompson will step down as chairman of the Rio Tinto remuneration committee and will also cease to be a member of the audit committee. Sam Laidlaw will succeed Thompson as chair of the remuneration committee.
In late November, Sky News reported that Rio Tinto scrapped plans to appoint former Xstrata CEO Mick Davis as chairman to replace du Plessis after facing shareholder opposition.
