Rio Tinto appoints Kaisa Hietala as a Non-Executive Director

The global mining and metal giant Rio Tinto has announced the appointment of Kaisa Hietala as a non-executive director.  A Finnish citizen, Kaisa Hietala, will join the Board on March 1, 2023.

An experienced executive, Kaisa Hietala has a proven track record of assisting businesses in transforming environmental megatrends' challenges into growth opportunities. Her career began in upstream oil and gas exploration. As Neste's Executive Vice President of Renewable Products, she was instrumental in the company's commercial transformation into the world's largest and most profitable producer of renewable products.

Kaisa Hietala is a seasoned non-executive director who chairs the board of Tracegrow, a private Finnish manufacturer of sustainable fertilisers. She also sits on the boards of Exxon Mobil and the international packaging giant Smurfit Kappa Group. She serves on the Oulu University Supervisory Board and formerly served on the Finnish speciality chemicals company Kemira Oy board.

Dominic Barton, the Chairman of Rio Tinto, said, “I am delighted to welcome Kaisa to the Rio Tinto Board. She brings a deep understanding of the resources industry, sustainability and renewables that will be invaluable as we work to ensure Rio Tinto thrives in a decarbonising world.

“As part of our continuing refresh of Board capabilities, we are progressing well with several other searches to identify non-executive directors with expertise in mining and sustainability. We expect to announce further appointments in due course.”

Kaisa Hietala said, “I am excited by the significant opportunity in front of Rio Tinto. The company demonstrates a real commitment to cultural change. It is progressing with its long-term strategy to deliver value by supplying the materials needed to transition to net zero.

“I look forward to working with my fellow Board members to support this ongoing transformation and strengthening of Rio Tinto.”