Rio Tinto appoints new head of its aluminum business

Rio Tinto has appointed Jérôme Pécresse to head its aluminum business, succeeding Ivan Vella.

The group said that Jérôme – who until recently was President and CEO of General Electric (GE) Renewable Energy – will join the company on October 23, 2023.

The Frenchman has more than 30 years of business experience, including senior management positions in global companies in the mining and energy sectors.

Rio Tinto has appointed Jérôme Pécresse to head its aluminum business

In a statement, Rio Tinto said: [Jérôme] joined GE in 2015 as President and CEO of GE Renewable Energy as GE completed the acquisition of Alstom’s energy operations. At Alstom, Jérôme also managed the company’s renewable energy business.

Jakob Stausholm, Managing Director of Rio Tinto, said: “Jérôme brings a wealth of experience in renewable energy, mining, business development and strategy, ideally suited to shaping our industry-leading aluminum business for a low-carbon future.”

“I look forward to welcoming Jérôme to Rio Tinto and the diverse contributions he will make to our company at this critical moment for our industry.”

Jérôme Pécresse said: “I am delighted to join Rio Tinto to continue building a stronger and more sustainable global aluminum business with our team around the globe.” “We play a key role in executing Rio Tinto’s strategy and delivery of materials needed in a low-carbon world.”

Rio Tinto shares rose 0.6 percent to 5,030 pence in Tuesday morning trade.

Last week, Rio Tinto sold 55 percent of its interest in the La Granja copper project in Peru, South America, to Canadian minerals company First Quantum.

The deal is valued at US$105m (£83.4m). The group says it will invest up to “an additional $546 million in the joint venture to fund capital and operating costs alone to advance the project through a feasibility study and into development.”

“Located high up in Cajamarca in northern Peru, La Granja has the potential to be a large, long-lived operation with a published total indicated and inferred mineral resource of 4.32 billion tonnes grading 0.51 percent copper,” adds Rio.