South African miner AngloGold Ashanti appoints Maria Ramos as chair
Mining giant AngloGold Ashanti has appointed Maria Ramos as chair of the board following the resignation of Sipho Pityana.
Ramos has been a director of the company since May 2019 and served as chair of the Remuneration and HR Committee, and as a member of the Social, Ethics and Sustainability Committee.
Pityana has served as chair for six years and joined the board in 2007. The miner noted the “significant contribution” made by Pityana since his appointment, including a 70 per cent reduction in its debt.
Before joining AngloGold, Ramos was chief executive of one of Africa’s largest banks, Absa, until her retirement in February 2019. She led the bank through the process of unbundling from its former UK parent Barclays.
Prior to that she was the group chief executive of state-owned Transnet, South Africa’s largest freight transport and logistics company, for five years.
“Ms Ramos brings to the role exceptional experience in leadership roles across both the private and public sectors,” AngloGold said in a statement.
In July AngloGold announced its chief executive Kelvin Dushnisky was stepping down from his position less than two years into the job. Finance boss Christine Ramon has taken the helm in the interim period.
“Ramos and the Board of Directors fully endorse the strategic direction of AngloGold Ashanti, and are supportive of the executive management team, led by Interim Chief Executive Officer Christine Ramon, which is delivering on this long-term business strategy,” the board added.