Rio Tinto reshuffles the top deck to mend ties between indigenous people

Jan 28 (Reuters) – Rio Tinto named a new chief operating officer and CEO of its Australian unit on Thursday, as the global mining company works to rebuild partnerships with indigenous groups.

The wave of appointments comes after new CEO Jakob Stausholm vowed to take a more inclusive approach and repair relations with Aboriginal groups following the company’s destruction of sacred caves in Australia.

“I want to re-establish Rio Tinto as a trusted partner for host communities, governments and other stakeholders,” Stausholm said in a statement on Thursday.

As part of the changes, Rio has appointed Arnaud Soirat, head of its copper and diamond division, to the newly created role of chief operating officer and appointed long-time chief executive Kellie Parker as chief executive officer in Australia.

Parker “will focus on rebuilding trust and strengthening external relationships across Australia,” Rio said.

According to the company, commercial director Simon Trott will head the iron ore division. Iron ore accounts for more than half of Rio’s total annual revenue.

The company will retain its current four product groups – aluminum, copper, iron ore and minerals – and appoint separate managers for each unit. (Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)