Carroll to head Anglo American
Mining group Anglo American sprang a triple surprise yesterday when it unveiled Cynthia Carroll as its new chief executive following months of speculation.
Ms Carroll, currently chief executive of Alcan Primary Metal, a unit of the Canadian aluminium producer, is the first non-South African and first external candidate to head the company, and the first woman to head a big mining group.
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She is due to take over from current chief executive TonyTrahar on March 1.
The board of Anglo American is thought to have sought an external candidate to bring fresh blood. There has been heavy speculation about who would succeed Mr Trahar since April, when he said he would retire early. Anglo American is understood to have approached several executives from the mining and metals industries for the job, including Philippe Varin of steelmaker Corus.
Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Anglo American chairman, said that he first met Ms Carroll at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. By June she was on Anglo's shortlist of candidates, and spent time meeting board members in London and Johannesburg.
Sir Mark said other candidates had been looked at, and "there were at least two people who said they would be interested in principle but they had made other commitments". But he said that in the final phase of selection "we did not offer the job to anyone but Cynthia".
Ms Carroll said it was an honour to take over at Anglo American. "Anglo American has a unique collection of assets, skilled and dedicated people, financial and technical strengths, and a strong underpinning of values and sense of responsibility," she said.
Mr Trahar, 57, has been chief executive since 2000 and has worked for the company since 1974. He took over after Anglo moved its listing from Johannesburg to London, and set about focusing on mining businesses.
This process has continued this year, with the sale of shares in AngloGold, the South African gold producer, the disposal of Highveld Steel of South Africa, and the decision to demerge Mondi, Anglo's paper and packaging business.
Mr Trahar is a former head of Mondi, and hopes to oversee its listing on the London Stock Exchange.
The listing is scheduled for the end of this year, but may be held up while Anglo waits to hear from the South African authorities whether Mondi shares will be classed as foreign or domestic stock, and how this will affect South African shareholders.
Anglo's London-traded shares fell 36p, or 1.5 per cent, to ￡23.79 yesterday, after analysts said Ms Carroll's appointment made an imminent takeover less likely.
MBA人物：女铁人卡罗尔
在
选择新首席执行官时，英美资源集团(Anglo American)一反其保守形象。
这家矿业集团昨日宣布了新任首席执行官人选：辛西娅?卡罗尔(Cynthia Carroll)。她将于明年1月加入董事会，3月份接受最高职位。她是一位业外人士，一个美国人，还是一位女性。
过去，英美资源集团一直由南非男性执掌，他们都是从基层一路做起。
卡罗尔现为加拿大铝业(Alcan)旗下原生金属集团的首席执行官。她承认，对英美资源集团的某些人而言，自己的到来或许是一个冲击。
但她在接受英国《金融时报》采访时表示：“我受到了最热烈的欢迎。我已收到两家南非煤矿的欢迎信息。”
英美资源集团董事长司徒慕德爵士(Sir Mark Moody-Stuart)表示，他已于周一向政府大臣们简要汇报了新任首席执行官人选事宜。
“他们的反应总体是积极的。其中几位表示，对于我们选择一位女性，他们感到既高兴又惊讶。”
英美资源集团于1999年将主要上市地从南非的约翰内斯堡迁至伦敦，但与南非政府保持着坚固的关系。
在本轮的大宗商品热潮中，该集团的股价落后于力拓(Rio Tinto)和必和必拓(BHP Billiton)等竞争对手，这被归咎于一系列因素，从与南非相关的政治风险，到英美资源集团的铁矿石和贱金属业务规模较小等。
去年10月，英美资源集团推出了一项旨在提振其股价的重组计划，包括剥离纸业及包装业务Mondi，和出售所持南非黄金分公司英美黄金(AngloGold Ashanti)的股份。
卡罗尔表示，至于她明年加入该公司后会否发起第二波重组行动，现在说来还为时尚早。
“我打算亲自去了解业务，下矿井，听取全球各地管理团队的意见。”
“我喜欢与人们进行团队合作，了解他们的观点从何而来。会有大量的辩论。我喜欢授权，让人们各司其责。我属于行动派。”
分析师们常常批评英美资源集团没有一个连贯的战略，业务组成颇为奇怪：既有石材公司泰玛士(Tarmac)，也有钻石企业戴比尔斯(De Beers)。
由于这个原因，加之首席执行官崔拓励(Tony Trahar)6个月前宣布离职以来形成的权力真空，外界日益将该集团日益视为一个收购目标。
外界曾提及的潜在买家有斯特拉塔(Xstrata)和俄罗斯铝业(Rusal)，还有人认为，英美资源集团应与力拓合并，以避开不受欢迎的收购。
卡罗尔表示，只有在在股东价值得到最大化的情况下，并购才会发生。
但她补充道：“我们希望实现大幅增长。”
一位分析人士昨日表示，通过聘请一位外部候选人，英美资源集团发出了信号，表明该集团对实现扭亏的态度是认真的，而并非仅是将自己出售。现年49岁的卡罗尔是一位地质学家，她职业生涯的开端是为美国石油公司阿莫科(Amoco)在落基山脉(Rocky Mountains)和阿拉斯加州勘探石油。阿莫科目前是英国石油(BP)的子公司。
1987年，她离开石油行业，进入哈佛大学(Harvard)攻读MBA学位。
自1988年以来，卡罗尔一直在加拿大铝业供职，曾主管过该集团的多数部门，包括原材料、包装和原生金属等。
在原材料部门供职期间，她管理过在几内亚、牙买加和巴西等国的铝土矿和氧化铝冶炼厂。对那些感到英美资源集团由财务人士管理时间过长的分析师而言，这种在矿业基层的经验应令他们感到满意。
2003年加拿大铝业收购法国法铝集团(Pechiney)后，卡罗尔在业务整合过程中发挥了重要作用。她参与了冶炼厂的出售和关闭，并成功降低了金属生产成本。
加拿大铝业从法铝集团处接手了南非的Coega冶炼项目，围绕该项目的谈判，使卡罗尔接触到南非政府部门的几位部长。
尽管铝业不在英美资源集团的资产组合中，但卡罗尔表示，她的新老东家有共同的特点。“铝业是非常全球化的。”
在她的任期内，加拿大铝业进入了中国，并在阿曼启动了一个冶炼项目。
她指出，两家公司面临着相同的挑战：限制不断上涨的能源、劳动力和原材料成本。
“在大宗商品业务方面，我们都需要处于成本曲线的低点。在我的职业生涯中，我经历过好时光，也经历过不太好的时光，知道如何在这两种情况下求生存。”
