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Anglo American unveils senior leadership change as Platinum boss leaves for gold mining giant Newmont Corporation
- Natascha Viljoen became the first female CEO of Anglo American Platinum in 2020
- Amplats recently warned that its annual earnings could fall by more than half
- She will be the chief operating officer of US-based Newmont Corporation
FTSE 100-listed Anglo American has revealed that the CEO of its South African Platinum division, also known as Amplats, is about to leave.
Natascha Viljoen became the first female chief of Amplats, a 79 percent subsidiary of Anglo American, when she assumed the position in April 2020 and will continue to hold that position until the end of her 12-month notice period.
She leaves the group to become chief operating officer of Colorado-based mining giant Newmont Corporation, the world’s largest gold producer.
Departure: Natascha Viljoen (pictured) leaves Anglo American Platinum to become the chief operating officer of Colorado-based mining giant Newmont Corporation
The announcement of Viljoen’s departure comes just two days after Amplats warned that annual earnings — measured in total earnings per share — could fall by more than half.
But the expected drop in earnings follows a record performance last year, when it more than doubled thanks to strong refined manufacturing and metal prices.
It was also the company’s second year without fatalities in its managed operations and the first year without fatalities at the Modikwa mine, which Amplats owns under a joint venture with African Rainbow Minerals.
Prior to joining Amplats, Viljoen was chief processing officer at Anglo American and spent six years at Lonmin, half of which as executive vice president.
She also spent stints at Anglo Gold, BHPBilliton’s coal and chrome divisions in South Africa and Iscor, which was renamed after being bought by European steelmaker ArcelorMittal.
Duncan Wanblad, CEO of Anglo American, said Viljoen was “an outstanding leader who has transformed our technical processing capabilities and performance.”
He added, “Her commitment to lead Anglo American Platinum and continued performance improvement as a platform for growth during her notice period is a clear demonstration of her strong personal qualities.”
Wanblad warned at a mining conference last week that South Africa’s status as a major mining destination was under significant threat from the ‘three plagues’ of blackouts, corruption and logistical challenges.
Three days later, Cyril Rampahosa, the president of Africa’s largest economy, declared a “state of disaster” to solve an electricity crisis that has caused blackouts for up to 10 hours on some days.
Anglo-American equities were 1 percent lower at 3,181.5p late Wednesday afternoon, making them one of the ten biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 Index.