Rio Tinto likely to name Mongolian to head Oyu Tolgoi: sources

Rio Tinto is likely to appoint a Mongolian to head its US$6.2 billion Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine as the company looks to patch up ties with the government amid disputes over costs and management at Mongolia’s biggest project.

Bold Baatar, who was named president of Rio Tinto’s international copper operations in April after advising the company for three years, is seen as the person most likely to replace Cameron McRae as president and chief executive of Oyu Tolgoi, two people familiar with the process said.

A Rio Tinto spokesman in Melbourne declined to comment on who was in the running to replace McRae or when an announcement would be made.

Appointing Bold would address a key complaint of the Mongolian government that locals are not well represented in the management of the project.

Bold is a well-known businessman in Mongolia, participating on the board of the Business Council of Mongolia as well as being chairman of the Mongolian National Mining Association and former chairman of the Mongolian Stock Exchange.

“Picking a Mongolian to run such a big Mongolian business project will go a long way in bridging the gap between Rio, the Mongolian government, and its people,” said Badral Munkhdul of the marketing intelligence firm Cover Mongolia.