Vedanta appoints Tom Albanese as CEO from April 1

Anil Agarwal's Vedanta Resources has announced Tom Albanese as Chief Executive Officer from April 1 this year. He will succeed MS Mehta who is retiring at the end of this month. Albanese, the former CEO of Rio Tinto Group, will also join the Vedanta board, the company said in a statement today. Albanese has been chairman of Vedanta Resources Holdings Ltd. since September last year.

"My focus as CEO will be on operational excellence,efficient cost management and sustainability to drive long-term value for all our stakeholders," Albanese said.  

Agarwal said, "Tom will lead all the businesses of our Group companies. The Board remains committed to delivering against our stated key strategic priorities ofoptimising our operations, strengthening our balance sheet and further simplifying the Vedanta Group structure. "

Albanese was chief executive of Rio Tinto from May 2007 to January2013. He joined Rio Tinto in 1993 when the company acquired Nerco, where he waschief operating officer. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mineral Economics anda Master's degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Alaska.