Rio Tinto’s growth and innovation executive Stephen McIntosh will retire at the end of September after 30 years spent at the miner.
The company said today that McIntosh will be replaced from October 1 by Mark Davies, who will assume a new role of “group executive for safety, technical and projects”.
It appears the new role will still have some responsibility for technology, with Rio Tinto noting that Davies will “build on the company’s efforts in technology and project delivery to support operational excellence in the years ahead.”
McIntosh was head of Rio Tinto’s technology and innovation business unit from May 2016 before moving into the broader growth and innovation portfolio.
Rio Tinto’s technology and innovation interests over the years have spanned deep automation of mine sites, as well as use of data to locate untapped deposits.
McIntosh joined Rio Tinto as an exploration geophysicist in 1987 and led the exploration team from 2011 to 2016, joining the executive committee in 2016.
“During his time with the company, Stephen built strong exploration, project and technology capabilities,” Rio Tinto said in a statement.
McIntosh will leave Rio Tinto on September 30 and take long service leave until his retirement date on December 31.
Davies is another long-time Rio Tinto staffer, having spent over 25 years at the company, most recently as its vice president for global procurement.
He will move to Brisbane to take up the new role.
