Rio Tinto appoints CFO Stausholm as new chief executive

Rio Tinto said it had appointed finance director Jakob Stausholm as its next chief executive as the Anglo-Australian mining giant looked to move on after blowing up a sacred Aboriginal site, sparking global outrage.

The destruction of two 46,000 -year-old caves at the Juukan Gorge in Western Australia to make way for a mine expansion, horrified the indigenous community and led to the resignation of chief executive Jean-Sébastien Jacques after an investor backlash.

Rio named Peter Cunningham as interim chief financial officer, adding that Jacques would step down as chief executive at the end of the year.

The appointment of Stausholm, who is Danish, will surprise many given the Australian government had called for an Australian to take over as the company tries to rebuild a shattered reputation.