Rio Tinto’s Lone Female Board Member to Be Joined by Three More Women

(Bloomberg) -- Rio Tinto Group will add three more women to its board over the course of this year, bringing the total to four out of 12 directors.

Hinda Gharbi, a vice president at Schlumberger Ltd., and JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Jennifer Nason will become independent non-executive directors on March 1, the company said. Ngaire Woods, professor of global economic governance at Oxford University, will join the board on Sept. 1.

The mining industry has long been dominated by men, something the biggest producers say they’re trying to change. A year ago, BHP Group promoted three women to key positions on its executive leadership board. Rio said in its annual report that it has a long-term target for women to make up one-third of its directors.

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Rio currently has just one woman director, Megan Clark, after Moya Greene stepped down in June. The nine-strong board is otherwise all-male and all-white.

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