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Jean-Marc Lieberherr Leaving Rio Tinto
He is being replaced by Simon Trott, the managing director of Rio Tinto’s salt and uranium businesses.
Perth, Australia--Jean-Marc Lieberherr is leaving Rio Tinto after a decade in the company’s diamonds business, in what Rio Tinto described as a restructuring of its Diamonds & Minerals group.
He also is on the World Diamond Council board of directors and is the chairman of the Diamond Producers Association, the group that came together earlier this year and works to increase demand for mined diamonds among consumers, particularly millennials.
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When contacted by National Jeweler Tuesday, Lieberherr declined to comment on his future plans.
Replacing Lieberherr is Simon Trott, who has been managing director of Rio Tinto’s salt and uranium business since March 2015 and will retain that position even as he assumes responsibility for the diamonds unit.
Trott has more than 18 years of experience in the mining industry.
In announcing the transition, Rio Tinto Diamonds & Minerals Chief Executive Alan Davies stressed that there is “no change” in the company’s commitment to the diamond industry, its customers and other industry partners.
Diamonds, however, remain a very small percentage of Rio Tinto’s overall business and is one the miner has tried to divest in the past, only to later drop those plans.
Last year, the Rio Tinto sold its stake in the Murowa mine in Zimbabwe. It still has the Argyle mine in Australia, a 60 percent stake in the Diavik Mine in Canada and the Bunder diamond exploration project in India.
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