Diversified miner BHP has appointed its Americas president Brandon Craig to succeed Mike Henry as group CEO and director with effect from July 1.

Henry is stepping down after six-and-a-half years in the CEO role.  

“We are very pleased an executive of Brandon Craig’s calibre and extensive experience has been appointed as our new CEO to lead the execution of our strategy. I am confident that his discipline and focus will continue to drive BHP’s high-performance culture and advance the company’s unrivalled pipeline of growth options to maximise shareholder returns.  

"We would like to recognise the outstanding contribution of Mike Henry to BHP as CEO. Under his leadership, BHP has transformed into a safer and more productive company, financially strong and sharply focused on shareholder value and social value,” BHP chairperson Ross McEwen comments.  

Craig brings more than 25 years of operational and corporate leadership experience at BHP to the role.

As BHP’s current Americas president, he leads the company’s growth strategy in future-facing commodities across Canada, the US and South America. During his time in the role, BHP became the world’s largest copper producer and advanced high-quality growth options in copper and potash.

Prior to this, he led the group's Western Australia Iron Ore business, improving operational performance and increasing BHP’s lead as the lowest-cost, highest-margin major iron-ore producer in the world.   

“It is an honour and privilege to succeed Mike Henry as CEO of BHP. Thanks to his leadership, BHP is well positioned for the future. Mike will be remembered for his strategic decision-making, portfolio transformation, operational excellence and focus on safety and high-performance culture.  

"As incoming CEO, I am committed to leading the talented and hard-working people who make BHP a great company and continuing to generate long-term value for all our shareholders. I will work tirelessly with the board and management to achieve this. I look forward to continuing to take this great company forward,” Craig says. 

Henry, meanwhile, says it has been a privilege to serve as CEO of BHP.

"I am proud of what we have achieved together. BHP is a safer and higher-performing company and is better positioned for future growth. We are creating sustainable long-term value for our shareholders, our supply chain, partners and our communities. Brandon is an excellent choice as CEO, and I wish him every success in the role.”

During Henry’s tenure as CEO, BHP says its Western Australia Iron Ore business expanded its lead as the world’s lowest-cost major iron-ore producer, while the group has also established itself as the world’s largest copper producer, with over half of BHP’s recent half-year earnings sourced from copper and a significant volume of growth to come.

This, coupled with BHP’s soon-to-be-commissioned potash mine, leaves the company well placed to deliver high-margin growth into the future.  

BHP states that it has a unique combination of large, long-life, low-cost assets in the most attractive commodities, a record of operational excellence and capital discipline, a strong pipeline of growth in copper and potash and a distinct approach to building social value.

"This will generate attractive and reliable returns and growth for shareholders well into the future," it says.