Rio Tinto appoints Jérôme Pécresse as new Aluminum CEO

The multinational Rio Tinto recently announced a new appointment. Jérôme Pécresse will take over the aluminum business from Ivan Vella. Jérôme, who until recently was president and CEO of General Electric (GE) Renewable Energy, will join Rio Tinto on October 23, 2023.

Jérôme is a French national with more than 30 years of business experience, including senior leadership positions in global companies in the mining and energy fields. He joined GE in 2015, when GE completed its acquisition of Alstom’s energy activities, as president and CEO of GE Renewable Energy. With 40,000 employees worldwide, GE Renewable Energy had the industry’s broadest portfolio of equipment, projects and services in hydropower, solar and storage, onshore and offshore wind, and grid power. At Alstom, Jérôme also headed the company’s renewable energy business.

Jérôme Pécresse, who brings a wealth of experience in renewable energy, mining, business development and energy efficiency, will be responsible for organizing and driving the aluminum sector’s decarbonization agenda while driving new decarbonization initiatives across its global operations with a view to achieving the “carbon neutrality”. in 2050.

Following the announcement of his new appointment, Pécresse said he was enthusiastic about this new project. “I am delighted to join Rio Tinto to continue building a stronger and more sustainable global aluminum business with our team around the world. We have a key role to play in delivering Rio Tinto’s strategy and providing the materials needed in a low-carbon world.”he added.

For his part, Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm reiterated: “Jérôme brings a wealth of experience in renewable energy, mining, business development and strategy, ideally suited to shape our industry-leading aluminum business for a low-carbon future. I look forward to welcoming Jérôme to Rio Tinto and the diverse contribution I know he will make to our business at this critical time for our industry.”