Rio Tinto reshuffled its board on Oct. 23, 2025, with key departures and new leadership roles.

Rio Tinto announced board leadership changes effective October 23, 2025, ending a transitional period that expanded the board to 14 members. Sam Laidlaw and Kaisa Hietala stepped down after the 2025 annual meetings, while Simon Henry departed after serving since 2017. Sharon Thorne became Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee. Martina Merz stepped down to focus on innovation and advisory work, replaced on the Sustainability Committee by Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, who also continues as Designated Non-Executive Director for Workforce Engagement. Ben Wyatt was appointed Senior Independent Director for Rio Tinto Limited, focusing on Australia, complementing Sharon Thorne’s UK-based role. All changes comply with UK Listing Rule 6.4.6 R.