Martina Merz leaves Rio Tinto board to focus on other roles
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The news: Former ThyssenKrupp CEO Martina Merz has stepped down from Rio Tinto’s board citing a desire to focus on her other supervisory and advisory board positions as well as “building innovation ecosystems”, according to the miner.
Meanwhile, existing director and former WA Treasurer Ben Wyatt has been appointed as senior independent director and will focus on board engagement in Australia.
The context: Merz has served on the board since February 2024. She is also a director of Volvo and sits on the supervisory board of Bosch and Umicore.
Merz’s vacancy on the board’s Sustainability Committee will be replaced by Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, who will also continue as the designated non-executive director for workforce engagement.
As previously flagged, Sam Laidlaw and Kaisa Hietala stepped down from the board following the conclusion of the 2025 annual general meetings. This marks the end of a transitional phase in which newer directors were familiarised with the group.
Simon Henry also stepped down from the board after completing his handover of the audit and risk committee chair role to Sharon Thorne.
The source: Rio Tinto media release
