ICMM appoints Richard Adkerson as new Chair
London, UK – The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) has today announced Richard Adkerson, President, CEO and Vice Chairman of Freeport-McMoRan as its new Chair, effective immediately.
ICMM is governed by the CEOs of its 27 company members, with officers appointed from within this group for approximately a two-year term. The Chair leads Council on the mission of strengthening the environmental and social performance of the mining and metals industry and building recognition of its contribution to local communities and society at large.
Richard has been a member of ICMM since 2005 and previously served as Chairman from 2008-2011. He succeeds Don Lindsay, CEO of Teck Resources Limited as Chair of ICMM. Iván Arriagada, CEO of Antofagasta PLC, is ICMM’s Deputy Chair.
Tom Butler, CEO of ICMM, said: “I am pleased to welcome Richard as ICMM’s new Chair. This is a critically important time for the industry in terms of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of the new Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management which was announced earlier this month, and the growing focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues by stakeholders in the global metals and mining industry.”
“I would like to thank Don for his valuable contribution as the previous Chair of ICMM. His tenure has seen the achievement of significant milestones in our progress towards driving performance improvements in the industry at scale. I look forward to continuing this journey with the benefit of Richard’s immense experience and understanding of our sector.”
Richard Adkerson, Chair of ICMM, said: “I look forward to working together with Council Member CEOs to advance our industry for the benefit of all stakeholders. We are all committed to high performance standards for our members and active engagement with stakeholders to achieve continuous improvement. Our immediate focus is on the successful implementation of the recently adopted Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management, an important but not final step in improving the safety of mine tailings storage facilities.”
“As modern mining companies, we produce commodities and materials essential to the global economy and for the well-being of people throughout the world. ICMM will continue to advance initiatives to manage responsibly impacts of our operations on the environment and to promote the economic and social sustainability of communities where we operate for the benefit of all stakeholders.”
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About ICMM
The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) is an international organisation dedicated to a safe, fair and sustainable mining and metals industry. Bringing together 27 mining and metals companies and 37 national, regional and commodities associations, it strengthens environmental and social performance and serves as a catalyst for change, enhancing mining’s contribution to society. Every ICMM company member adheres to its Mining Principles which incorporates comprehensive environmental, social and governance requirements, robust site-level validation of performance expectations and credible assurance of corporate sustainability reports.