Rio Tinto has appointed Jim Leng as Chairman of the Boards with effect from the conclusion of its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 20 April 2009.  He joins the Boards as Chairman Designate and a Non Executive Director for the current time. This news comes as Rio’s current Chairman, Paul Skinner notified the Boards of his preference to retire at the conclusion of the AGM in April. Leng is currently Deputy Chairman of Tata Steel in India, a position he has held since Corus Group was acquired by Tata in 2007.  He is also Chairman of Tata Steel Europe, a position he has held since 2003. Leng’s previous roles include Chief Executive of Laporte and Chief Executive of Low and Bonar.

Leng said: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining Rio Tinto and taking up the Chairmanship. Rio Tinto has a superb set of assets and strong prospects.  I look forward to working closely with Chief Executive Tom Albanese and his team as we steer the company through the challenges of the current economic climate and beyond.”

Andrew Gould, Senior Independent Director, Rio Tinto, said, “Jim Leng brings to Rio Tinto extensive industrial company experience and is a seasoned Board room operator.  He is ably qualified to lead Rio Tinto into the next phase of its development.  On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Paul Skinner for his excellent leadership of the Boards for the last five years and significant contribution during his tenure.”

Paul Skinner, Chairman, Rio Tinto said “After the termination of the BHP Billiton pre-conditional offers for the group, and the identification of a well-qualified successor, now is a good time for me to announce my decision to stand down at the AGM this year. Rio Tinto is an exciting and challenging company to lead, and I am very pleased that we have found someone of Jim’s calibre to take over from me as Chairman.”