By Clara Ferreira-Marques
LONDON Nov 1 (Reuters) – Mining group Anglo American
is starting the search for a new chief executive to
replace Cynthia Carroll and take on what analysts and investors
say is one the toughest jobs in the resources sector.
Headhunters at executive search firm Spencer Stuart – who
have worked with Anglo on board appointments in the past – are
expected to lead the search, sources familiar with the matter
said.
Carroll resigned last week after more than five years at the
helm, under pressure from investors over issues including
Anglo’s underperforming share price.
Anglo’s choice of CEO will send a signal on the company’s
future strategy as it battles squeezed margins and labour unrest
in its platinum division, operational problems in copper, and
cost overruns and delays in its flagship iron ore project, Minas
Rio.
Carroll’s replacement could come from an unexpected quarter
as the group’s board seeks to combine operational experience,
with political nous and strategic vision. South Africa, for its
part, has indicated it would prefer a South African for the job.
Carroll herself – the first woman, first non-South African
and first outsider to take on the role – came from the aluminium
industry and was all but unknown.
The following are names mentioned by analysts, investors and
industry sources as potential candidates.
Continued…
