Anglo American Platinum chief Chris Griffith steps down

Anglo American announced on Monday that Chris Griffith had informed the board of Anglo American Platinum that he was intending to step down as chief executive officer and as an executive director after more than seven years.

The FTSE 100 company said it followed his decision to pursue other career opportunities.

It said Griffith would step down at the annual general meeting on 16 April, and his successor - who was expected to be an internal candidate from within the Anglo American group - would be announced in the near future.

“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Chris for leading Anglo American Platinum during the last seven years,” said Norman Mbazima, chairman of Anglo American Platinum.

“His exceptional contribution to improving safety and the operational and financial turnaround of the business has produced excellent results.”

Mbazima said the focus on innovation and developing diverse markets for their range of metals saw Anglo American Platinum “well positioned” to continue growing from its current position of strength.

“Chris has notched up many significant achievements during his 30-year career with Anglo American and we wish him the very best for the future.”

Chris Griffith himself added that he had “enjoyed” the challenge of leading “one of the world's great precious metals businesses” over the last seven years.

“This has been the pinnacle of my long and fulfilling career with Anglo American - ending it back at Anglo American Platinum, which was where my career started 30 years ago.

“We have made tremendous progress at Anglo American Platinum on many fronts, from safety improvements to successfully completing the significant restructuring and repositioning of the portfolio of assets, which continue to deliver industry leading returns.”

After more than seven years at the helm, Griffith said it was now “the natural time” for the next generation of leadership to take the business forward and deliver further value.

“I would like to thank my executive team, senior management and all Anglo American Platinum employees for their hard work, dedication and support that has taken this great Company to where it is today.”

At 0841 GMT, shares in Anglo American were up 0.67% at 2,107.5p.