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Xstrata Copper announces new General Manager of Minera Alumbrera (PDF)
Buenos Aires, 2 July 2008
Xstrata Copper announces the appointment of Roberto Darouiche as General Manager of Minera Alumbrera following the decision of Jorge Montaldi to leave the role for personal reasons, effective from 4 July 2008. Mr Montaldi will continue to work with Minera Alumbrera in an advisory capacity.
Xstrata Copper Chief Executive Charlie Sartain commented:
"I would like to express my sincere appreciation for Jorge Montaldi's substantial contribution to Minera Alumbrera over many years and especially during the past 21 months as Minera Alumbrera's General Manager and an important member of Xstrata Copper's senior management team.
"I would also like to congratulate Roberto Darouiche on his appointment as General Manager Minera Alumbrera. Roberto brings with him extensive senior management experience both at Minera Alumbrera and in Australia where he has held management roles at the Mount Isa and Ernest Henry mining operations.
"I am confident Roberto will continue to provide strong leadership to the Alumbrera division."
ends
Xstrata contacts
Emily Russell
Telephone +56 2 4782204
Mobile +56 9 78879487
Email erussell@xstratacopper.cl
Julian Rooney
Telephone +54 11 4316 8322
Mobile +54 911 4415 1285
Email jrooney@xstratacopper.com.ar
Notes for editors
ROBERTO DAROUICHE – BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Born in La Rioja, Argentina, Roberto Darouiche joined Minera Alumbrera in April 1997 as Senior Safety Advisor. His extensive experience in the mining industry includes several senior positions at Minera Alumbrera and at Xstrata Copper's Ernest Henry and Mount Isa Mines operations in Queensland, Australia. Prior to his new appointment as General Manager in July 2008, Roberto held the post of Manager Administration and Logistics at Minera Alumbrera.
Before joining Minera Alumbrera, Roberto held various posts as an Engineer in the construction sector both in Argentina and abroad. He holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the National University of Tucumán and a Masters in Business Administration from the Catholic University of Valparaíso (Chile) and the Tucumán Foundation.
JORGE MONTALDI – BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Jorge Montaldi joined Minera Alumbrera in July 1997 and has held a number of different roles in the operation, including Operations & Maintenance, Environment, Safety & Training and Provincial Affairs. At the end of 2005, Jorge was appointed Manager Administration & Logistics before being appointed to the post of General Manager Minera Alumbrera in October 2006.
Prior to joining Minera Alumbrera, Jorge held other engineering positions in the petroleum and automotive industries. Jorge holds a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Tucumán, Argentina, and completed a postgraduate course in Human Resources at Belgrano University in Buenos Aires.
ABOUT MINERA ALUMBRERA
Bajo de la Alumbrera is a copper-gold mine located in northwest Argentina's Catamarca province. Minera Alumbrera has the right to mine the Bajo de la Alumbrera deposit under a joint venture with Yacimientos Mineros de Aguas de Dionisio (YMAD), which holds the title to the deposit. YMAD is a statutory corporation composed of the Catamarca Provincial Government and the National Tucumán University and is entitled to 20% of Minera Alumbrera's net proceeds.
Xstrata Copper manages and has a 50% controlling interest in Minera Alumbrera while Canadian companies Goldcorp and Yamana Gold own the remaining 37.5% and 12.5% respectively.
ABOUT XSTRATA COPPER
Headquartered in Brisbane, Xstrata Copper is one of the commodity business units within the major global diversified mining group Xstrata plc. Its operations and projects span eight countries: Australia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Canada, the USA, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. Its operations are administered by five separate divisions, based close to the mining operations, namely the North Queensland, Minera Alumbrera, North Chile, Southern Peru and Canada divisions. It also has a recycling business (Xstrata Recycling) with plants in the United States and offices in Canada and Asia.
Xstrata Copper is the fourth largest global copper producer with annual attributable production capacity of over one million tonnes.
ABOUT XSTRATA PLC
Xstrata is a global diversified mining group, listed on the London and Swiss Stock Exchanges, with its headquarters in Zug, Switzerland. Xstrata’s businesses maintain a meaningful position in seven major international commodity markets: copper, coking coal, thermal coal, ferrochrome, nickel, vanadium and zinc, with additional exposures to platinum group metals, gold, cobalt, lead and silver, recycling facilities and a suite of global technology products, many of which are industry leaders. The Group's operations and projects span 18 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Germany, New Caledonia, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, the USA and the UK. Xstrata employs approximately 56,000 people, including contractors.