Rio Tinto has announced the appointment of a new chief operating officer (COO) for its Diavik diamond mine in Canada.
Matthew Breen will transition into the position after working as the Diavik diamond mine’s general manager of operations. As COO, Breen will lead the mine and its 1240 employees into the next development phase.
“It is a privilege to be given the opportunity to lead Diavik diamond mine,” Breen said.
“The team of innovative and hard-working individuals at Diavik are inspirational and without their dedication and effort, we would not be the world class diamond mine we are today. I will ensure that we continue on our path of excellence to leave a lasting, positive legacy in the Northwest Territories.”
Breen will be replacing Angela Bigg, who served as the mine’s COO for six years. Bigg will take a period of leave before returning to Rio Tinto in a different leadership role.
Rio Tinto minerals chief executive Sinead Kaufman congratulated Breen on his new role.
“I am delighted that Matt will be leading the team at Diavik diamond mine as it continues to supply our customers with high quality, responsibly sourced Canadian diamonds, while preparing to leave a positive legacy in partnership with our community and government partners,” Kaufman said.
“I would like to thank Angela for her six years at Diavik during which time she has shown strong leadership and care during challenging times.”
Recently, Rio Tinto appointed James ‘Joc’ O’Rourke as its new non-executive director, which took effect from October 25.
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