Jan du Plessis

Age 54

Appointment and election: Director of Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Limited since 1 September 2008.

Skills and experience: Jan du Plessis was appointed chairman of the Board of British American Tobacco plc in July 2004, having been a non-executive director since his appointment to that company's board in 1999. He is also a non-executive director and chairman of the Audit Committee of Lloyds TSB Group plc. He was previously Group Finance Director of Richemont and chairman of RHM plc. Jan has degrees in Commerce and Law from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and is a South African Chartered Accountant.

External appointments (current and recent):
Chairman of the Board of British American Tobacco plc since 2004
Non-executive director and chairman of the Audit Committee of Lloyds TSB Group plc