Rio Tinto, diversified miner, and Aluminium head Jérôme Pécresse will combine the group’s lithium business with aluminium to form a new Aluminium & Lithium product group, as part of a restructuring that leaves three core lines: Aluminium & Lithium, Copper and Iron Ore. The shake-up, unveiled days after Simon Trott became CEO, also moves borates and iron & titanium under the chief commercial officer for strategic review.
What’s changing and who’s in charge
The new Aluminium & Lithium group will comprise Atlantic Operations Aluminium, Pacific Operations Aluminium and Lithium, led by Pécresse. Katie Jackson continues to lead Copper, while Matthew Holcz becomes chief executive of a unified Iron Ore division covering Western Australia, Canada and—once built—Simandou in Guinea. The re-org trims corporate layers and concentrates accountability within three global product heads reporting to Trott.
Why pair lithium with aluminium
Rio says clustering businesses with shared processing know-how and downstream exposure should speed up deployment of manufacturing and productivity systems already embedded in aluminium. Strategically, the move also places Rio’s expanded lithium platform—now including Arcadium Lithium—inside a product group versed in large-scale refining, power management and customer qualification, areas that matter as lithium chemicals migrate closer to end-markets.
Leadership moves and portfolio implications
Sinead Kaufman, who helped establish Rio’s lithium operations, will leave at the end of October. The Chief Executive Australia role will be wound down; Kellie Parker will assist the transition. Outside the three core groups, borates and iron & titanium shift to Chief Commercial Officer Bold Baatar for review, signaling potential portfolio pruning after years of diversification.
Lithium footprint after Arcadium
Rio completed the $6.7 billion purchase of Arcadium Lithium in March, adding a global chemicals business to its pipeline alongside the Rincon brine project in Argentina (first production expected in 2028 after an expansion build) and new positions in Chile through partnerships at Salar de Maricunga with Codelco and Salares Altoandinos with Enami. The company continues to advance the Jadar project in Serbia, while navigating permitting and community opposition.
Company Background and Market Context
Trott, formerly head of Iron Ore, took over as CEO in late August and immediately simplified reporting lines to cut complexity and sharpen capital allocation. Holcz moves from Pilbara mines leadership into the global iron-ore role; Jackson focuses Copper on Oyu Tolgoi’s ramp-up, stabilising Kennecott and progressing options such as Resolution in the U.S. and Nuevo Cobre in Chile. The structure aims to align executive attention with the businesses Rio says offer the clearest path to operational gains and cash generation.
Lithium is central to EV batteries; prices weakened through 2024–2025 amid a supply surge and slower-than-expected demand, though medium-term projections remain constructive. Aluminium, used across autos, packaging and power infrastructure, offers scale, grid integration experience and customer ties that can support lithium downstream growth. Pairing the two may help Rio match processing capabilities with market development as the energy-transition supply chain matures.
