Godbehere and Brown Named to Rio Tinto Boards

Feb. 23, 2010
Rio Tinto recently announced the appointment of Ann Godbehere and Robert Brown as non-executive directors to join the boards of Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Limited. In addition, the boards have received notification from Sir David Clementi and David Mayhew that they will be retiring as non-executive directors upon the conclusion of the 2010 annual general meetings (AGMs). Yves Fortier has also given notice to the boards of his intention to retire as a non-executive director at the end of his term upon conclusion of the 2011 AGMs.
Godbehere will succeed Clementi as chairman of the Audit committee. She has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, having spent 10 years at Swiss Re, most recently as chief financial officer. Her non-executive directorships include UBS AG and Prudential plc, where she is chair of its Audit committee.
"I am very pleased to welcome Ann to the Rio Tinto boards," said Jan du Plessis, chairman. "She brings substantial financial services' experience that will be of particular value to the Audit committee. I would also like to pay tribute to the valuable contributions made by Sir David Clementi and David Mayhew during their many years as non-executive directors. I wish them well for the future."
Brown will join the boards on April 1, 2010. He is currently chairman of Groupe Aeroplan Inc. and serves on the board of Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE Inc), the holding company for Bell Canada. He recently retired as president and CEO of CAE Inc. Before that, he spent 16 years at Bombardier Inc., where he was first head of the Aerospace Group and then president and CEO. He has also served as chairman of Air Canada and of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada.
"I am very pleased to welcome Bob to the Rio Tinto boards," said du Plessis. "I am most grateful to Yves for committing to serve his full term during an important transition period for Rio Tinto following the Alcan acquisition. He has also been very helpful to me in identifying Bob as someone who can bring commensurate skills and experience to the boards."