Rio Tinto Iron Ore director appointed WA CME president

According to Mining News Pro - Vella will take the place of BHP’s Edgar Basto as president, who has been in the role since 2018.

The decision was made at the CME’s annual general meeting today via teleconference for the first time.

Woodside’s Fiona Hick and AngloGold Ashanti’s Mike Erison were also given CME vice-president roles.

According to CME chief executive Paul Everingham, the new roles come at a busy time for CME due to COVID-19’s impact on member operations.

“Our member companies have had to quickly adapt and dramatically change how they do business in order to protect the safety of employees, their families and the community during this pandemic, as well as ensure their operations keep going wherever possible,” he said.

“I congratulate Ivan on his appointment as CME president and am confident he will continue to provide valuable direction and leadership through the economic recovery phase of COVID-19.”

Everingham also thanked outgoing CME president Edgar Basto for his time spent at CME.

“Despite his heavy workload and responsibilities with BHP, Edgar has always been extremely generous with his time and incredibly supportive of the work CME has carries out with members, and particularly  with our Women in Resources Awards and  the  Pilbara Collaboration  initiative,” he said.