By Melanie Burton MELBOURNE, March 18 (Reuters) – Mining giant BHP Group on Wednesday named Brandon Craig as CEO to succeed Mike Henry, who will step down after more than six years at the helm. Craig serves as president for the Americas and has led its Western Australia iron ore business, giving him top level […]
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BHP names Brandon Craig as CEO, succeeding Mike Henry
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By Melanie Burton
MELBOURNE, March 18 (Reuters) – Mining giant BHP Group on Wednesday named Brandon Craig as CEO to succeed Mike Henry, who will step down after more than six years at the helm.
Craig serves as president for the Americas and has led its Western Australia iron ore business, giving him top level experience across BHP’s two most important businesses.
“He’s run the iron ore business, and the Americas is probably the most important business for BHP in the years ahead. I reckon he’s super impressive,” said Andy Forster of Sydney-based Argo Investments.
“Interesting timing — I thought Mike might be around for longer,” he added.
In his tenure as CEO, Henry oversaw a major reshaping of BHP’s portfolio, including an exit from petroleum, simplification of its dual-listed share structure and a shift towards future-facing commodities such as copper and potash.
He also oversaw several failed attempts at buying Anglo American to expand BHP’s copper exposure. The most recent of those attempts late last year dampened speculation he would soon retire as insiders said he had plenty of energy for the role.
(Reporting by Roshan Thomas in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Cynthia Osterman)