BHP appoints Mike Henry as new chief executive

BHP said it had appointed Mike Henry as its next chief executive, succeeding Andrew Mackenzie who is retiring at the end of the year.

Henry, who was currently in charge of the mining giant's iron ore, coal and copper mines in Australia, and would start his new job in January, BHP said in a statement on Thursday.

Henry refused to say whether the company would resign its membership of the Minerals Council of Australia over its position on global warming after a third of shareholders voted in favour of such a move this week.

“Our position on climate change doesn’t change, I am fully committed to the goals that we’ve put out there,” he told a news conference.

“In terms of my approach to engagement, I believe that social value is not an elective for the company.”