Rio Tinto bosses depart after heritage site destruction

UK-Australian mining firm Rio Tinto's chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques will step down following his handling of the destruction earlier this year of a heritage site in the Pilbara region of Western Australia to expand the 42mn t/yr Brockman iron ore mine.

The search for a new chief executive has started, Rio Tinto said today, with Jacques to remain in his role until the appointment of his successor or 31 March 2021, whichever is earlier. Two other executives at the company will also step down following the destruction of the 46,000 year-old Juukan gorge rock caves, with Chris Salisbury to step down as iron ore chief executive with immediate effect and to leave the firm on 31 December. Salisbury will be replaced on an interim basis by Ivan Vella, the firm's managing director for rail, port and core services for iron ore. Rio Tinto's corporate relations group executive Simone Niven will also step down and leave the firm at the end of the year.

"What happened at Juukan was wrong and we are determined to ensure that the destruction of a heritage site of such exceptional archaeological and cultural significance never occurs again at a Rio Tinto operation," said company chairman Simon Thompson.

By Kevin Morrison