Sam Walsh

Executive director and chief executive Iron Ore, Perth

B Com (Melbourne). Age 59.

Appointment and election: Appointed a director of Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Limited on 4 June 2009. Sam will stand for election by shareholders at the 2010 annual general meetings.

Skills and experience: Sam was appointed executive director and chief executive of the Iron Ore group in June 2009.  He joined Rio Tinto in 1991, following 20 years in the automotive industry at General Motors and Nissan Australia. He has held a number of management positions within the Group, including managing director of Comalco Foundry Products, CRA Industrial Products, Hamersley Iron Sales and Marketing, Hamersley Iron Operations, vice president of Rio Tinto Iron Ore (with responsibility for Hamersley Iron and Robe River), from 2001 to 2004, chief executive of the Aluminium group and from 2004 to 2009 chief executive of the Iron Ore group . Sam is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

External appointments (current and recent):
Director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry between 2003 and 2005.
Director of the Australian Mines and Metals Association between 2001 and 2005.
Director of the Committee for Perth Ltd since 2006.
Director of Western Australian Newspaper Holdings Limited since December 2008.