Miner Anglo American Platinum’s (Amplats) shares fell more than 3% on Wednesday after the company announced that CEO Natascha Viljoen will step down next year to become operations chief at US-based Newmont Corporation.
Viljoen, who has been at the helm of the world’s biggest platinum group metals miner since April 2020, will continue as CEO until completion of her 12-month notice period, Amplats said in a statement.
“While I have identified the next phase of my career, my commitment to delivering our clear objectives during this year is as firm as ever, beginning, of course, with keeping our people safe, every day,” Viljoen said.
Amplats shares were down 3.6% at 10.21am.
Board chairman Norman Mbazima said the process to nominate Viljoen’s successor was under way.
A process engineer, Viljoen was group head of processing at Anglo American before appointment as Amplats CEO. She has also held leadership roles at AngloGold and was the general manager of Klipspruit Colliery, which was previously owned by global mining giant BHP.
REUTERS