(Reuters) - BHP is likely to appoint Geraldine Slattery, the miner's current head of Australia, as its first female chief executive to replace current CEO Mike Henry by the middle of 2026, the
BHP likely to name first female CEO in its 140-year history, FT reports
BHP's Leadership Transition
(Reuters) - BHP Group is likely to appoint Geraldine Slattery, who heads the miner's Australia operations, as its first female chief executive in 140 years, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
Geraldine Slattery's Background
CEO Mike Henry is expected to step down by the middle of 2026 after five years at the helm, the report said, citing unnamed people "familiar with the board's thinking".
Current CEO Mike Henry's Departure
According to the FT report, the company has said the board was "not in a rush" to make a change.
Industry Context and Comparisons
BHP did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Slattery has been at BHP for three decades and previously led the company's U.S. petroleum business.
Peer Rio Tinto also has a new chief executive and appointed insider Simon Trott to the top job in mid-July. Trott earlier headed the company's most profitable iron ore unit.
BHP, the world's biggest listed miner, regularly rotates top talent through key roles, with internal CEO candidates being mentored for years by the chair and some board members as a sort of pre-screening, a source familiar with the company told Reuters in May.
(Reporting by Shivangi Lahiri in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo and Pooja Desai)
