Newsmaker

Chris Lynch (above) has been appointed to the pivotal role of president of BHP Billiton’s carbon steel materials division replacing Bob Kirkby, who will retire at the end of the year. The carbon steel role has overall responsibility for the resource giant’s iron ore business, as well as the coking coal unit – two key areas of operation for BHP Billiton. Of further interest to the company’s WA operations is the move of iron ore president Graeme Hunt, the man who has resided over BHP Billiton’s massive iron ore projects in the state’s north-west, to London to take on the role of president of the aluminium business. Mr Hunt’s move will be a loss to the company’s iron ore management team, as he has significant expertise in the area. His replacement is yet to be announced. A company spokesperson told WA Business News that it was likely to benchmark internally and also look externally to find the best replacement. Alex Vanselow, the current head of the aluminium business, will take on the role of chief financial officer and report directly to chief executive, Chip Goodyear. All appointments are effective from April 1.