Rio Tinto appoints Philip Richards as head of legal

Rio Tinto has appointed Philip Richards as its new group head of legal, replacing Debra Valentine.

Richards, who has been acting in the role since December on secondment from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he was a senior partner specialising in corporate law, will be responsible for all group legal services.

Rio said he has extensive experience in governance, corporate advisory and transactional work, including four years running Freshfields' office in Italy, and leading the firm's financial institutions group.

His previous experience includes acting for a broad range of global companies including Barclays, Tesco, Prudential, LSEG, Liberty Global and Swiss Re.

Chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques said: “Philip has demonstrated in his time with us that his significant almost 40-year experience in legal affairs will be a real asset for our company. He has quickly embraced the strong Rio Tinto culture and I am very pleased to have him join our team."