Rio Tinto bosses have been forced to resign over a 'lack of accountability' after the company blew up an ancient Aboriginal heritage site
by Jack Derwin
- Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sébastien Jacques has stepped down from the company “by mutual agreement” in the wake of the controversial Juukan rock shelter blast.
- He will depart Rio along with the company’s iron ore division boss Chris Salisbury and corporate affairs boss Simone Niven.
- “What happened at Juukan was wrong and we are determined to ensure that the destruction of a heritage site of such exceptional archaeological and cultural significance never occurs again,” chairman Simon Thompson said in a statement.
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The CEO and top executives at mining giant Rio Tinto have been forced to step down after destroying the Juukan Gorge rock shelters.
On Friday, Rio shared a statement announcing that CEO Jean-Sébastien Jacques would depart the company “by mutual agreement” along with two other executives, iron ore CEO Chris Salisbury and corporate affairs head Simone Niven.
The third-largest mining company in the world has faced sustained criticism after it blew up two culturally significant caves in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, destroying cultural links that date back more than 46,000 years.
While what it did was technically lawful, it has faced a tsunami of criticism for proceeding without the consent of the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) people.
Its failure to do so raised serious questions over how it was allowed to happen and of governance within the company.
Jacques, Salisbury and Niven were last month forced to forgo $7 million in bonuses between them, with a review finding at least some responsibility for the blast lay with them.
However, while the board initially stood by all three, insisting their positions were safe, the immense pressure from Aboriginal groups, shareholders, and government appears to have finally forced their hand.
“What happened at Juukan was wrong and we are determined to ensure that the destruction of a heritage site of such exceptional archaeological and cultural significance never occurs again at a Rio Tinto operation,” chairman Simon Thompson said, pledging to “regain the trust” of the PKKP people.
“We have listened to our stakeholders’ concerns that a lack of individual accountability undermines the group’s ability to rebuild that trust and to move forward to implement the changes identified in the board review.”
Thompson praised Jacques for “exemplary” leadership in the last six months and thanked Niven and Salisbury for their contributions to the company.
Jacques will remain in his role until a successor is found or March 31, 2021, at the latest.
Meanwhile, Salisbury and Niven will step down immediately from their current roles with a view to leave the company entirely by the end of the year.
More to come.