Rio Tinto appoints Barbara Levi as new group general counsel

Rio Tinto has appointed Barbara Levi to succeed Philip Richards as a group executive and group general counsel, it announced on Monday.

The FTSE 100 metals giant said Levi, who was currently group legal head of mergers and acquisitions and strategic transactions for Novartis, would join Rio Tinto on 1 January.

Richards would retire from the company on 31 December.

The board said Levi, an Italian citizen, had more than 20 years of experience in a number of senior legal roles across Europe and in the United States, both in corporate and private practice.

She joined Novartis in 2004, and had held a variety of positions including general counsel at Sandoz from 2016 to 2019, and was previously global legal head of product strategy and commercialisation for the pharma division.

Levi also had “significant” experience across ethics, integrity, and governance, Rio Tinto said, having been head of the anti-bribery and corruption practice team, the trade sanctions practice team, and head of legal and compliance for the Africa, Middle East and Asian region and the ‘Growth Emerging Markets’ division at Novartis.

Prior to joining Novartis, she worked for several years as a corporate and transactional attorney with law firms in New York City and Milan.

Levi is an attorney-at-law, admitted to the US Supreme Court, the New York Bar, and the Italian Bar in Milan.

“Barbara has extensive legal experience across corporate, commercial and compliance matters gained within a complex multinational organisation which makes her an ideal choice to lead Rio Tinto's legal and compliance team,” said chief executive officer J-S Jacques.

“I am delighted to welcome her to Rio Tinto and look forward to having her join the executive team.”

Jacques also thanked Richards for his “considerable contribution” during his time with Rio Tinto.

“In particular, he has driven some significant improvements across governance and compliance which have strengthened our business.

“I wish Philip and his family the best of luck for the future.”