7th Mar 2006 13:09
Rio Tinto PLC07 March 2006 Appointment of new director Rio Tinto today appointed Tom Albanese as an executive director with immediateeffect. Tom will remain chief executive of the Copper group and of Exploration until 1July 2006, when he will be appointed director, Group Resources. In this newposition he will be responsible for Exploration, Operational and TechnicalExcellence, Human Resources, External Affairs, and Global Business Services. Since joining the Rio Tinto Group in 1993, Tom has held a number of seniorexecutive roles and was chief executive of the Industrial Minerals group from2000 to 2004 before assuming his current position. Bret Clayton, currently president and chief executive officer of KennecottEnergy in the US, will succeed Tom as chief executive of the Copper group. Note to editors: Tom Albanese, age 48, joined Rio Tinto in 1993 and was appointed chiefexecutive, Copper and Exploration in 2004. He holds a bachelor's degree inmineral economics and a master's in mining engineering. Before joining RioTinto, Tom held a number of positions with Nerco Corporation. Following the acquisition of Nerco by Kennecott Corporation in 1993, Tom becamegeneral manager of the Greens Creek mine in Alaska. In 1995 he transferred toRio Tinto's headquarters in London as Group Exploration executive. He returnedto the US in 1998 as vice president, Engineering and Technical services atKennecott. In 2000, he managed the transition of the North acquisition asmanaging director, North Limited. Tom was chief executive of the Industrial Minerals product group from 2000 to2004. Bret Clayton, age 44, joined the Group in June 1994. He was appointed chiefexecutive of Kennecott Energy in 2002. Before joining Rio Tinto Bret spent nineyears at PricewaterhouseCoopers consulting and auditing to the mineralsindustry. He holds a BA in accounting. Two years after joining the Group he transferred to London to work in theControllers Department. In 1998 he became head of Financial Planning andReporting in London. He was transferred to Hamersley Iron in Australia asgeneral manager Commercial in 2000 and later took on the additional role ofgeneral manager Finance for the broader Iron Ore product group. For further information, please contact: LONDON AUSTRALIA Media Relations Media Relations Hugh Leggatt Ian HeadOffice: +44 (0) 20 7753 2273 Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3620Mobile: +44 (0) 7764 369 977 Mobile: +61 (0) 408 360 101 Investor Relations Investor Relations Nigel Jones Dave SkinnerOffice: +44 (0) 20 7753 2401 Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3628Mobile: +44 (0) 7917 227 365 Mobile: +61 (0) 408 335 309 David Ovington Susie CreswellOffice: +44 (0) 20 7753 2326 Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3639Mobile: +44 (0) 7920 010 978 Mobile: +61 (0) 418 933 792 Website: www.riotinto.com This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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