Rio Tinto appoints Jérôme Pécresse as CEO of aluminium business

Rio Tinto said on Tuesday that it has appointed Jérôme Pécresse as chief executive of its aluminium business, succeeding Ivan Vella.

Pécresse, who was until recently president and chief executive of General Electric Renewable Energy, will join the mining company on 23 October.

Rio said he has more than 30 years of business experience, including senior leadership roles in global companies in the mining and energy fields. He joined GE in 2015, when the group completed its acquisition of Alstom's energy activities, as president and CEO of GE Renewable Energy.

Before joining Alstom in 2011, Pécresse spent 13 years in the mining and metals processing industry at Paris-based global industrial minerals producer Imerys in various roles and ultimately as chief operating officer. He started his career at Credit Suisse First Boston and is a graduate from Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées.

Rio chief executive Jakob Stausholm said: "Jérôme brings a wealth of experience across renewable energy, mining, business development and strategy, ideal for shaping our industry leading aluminium business for a low carbon future."