Jakob Stausholm’s Exit Rocks Rio Tinto’s Core

A Leadership Shakeup Rocks Rio Tinto and the Mining Industry

Editorial Team (ET)May 23, 2025

In a bombshell announcement that’s sent shockwaves through the mining world, Rio Tinto (ASX, LON: RIO) revealed on Thursday that CEO Jakob Stausholm will step down later this year, capping a nearly five-year tenure that saw the mining giant pivot toward energy transition metals and grapple with a controversial past. The news, as unexpected as a plot twist in a Hollywood thriller, has left analysts and investors scrambling to make sense of the sudden departure.

Stausholm, who took the helm in 2021 after joining Rio in 2018, steered the company through turbulent waters following the infamous destruction of 46,000-year-old Aboriginal rock shelters in Western Australia. The incident, which cost his predecessor Jean-Sébastien Jacques his job, thrust Stausholm into the spotlight with a mandate to rebuild trust with stakeholders, Indigenous groups, and investors. By all accounts, he delivered—expanding Rio Tinto’s portfolio into high-demand commodities like copper, lithium, and aluminium while championing stronger environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices.

In a LinkedIn post that radiated pride but offered no clues about his exit, Stausholm called leading Rio Tinto “an honour” and emphasized that it’s “business as usual” while the company hunts for his successor. “A rigorous process is already underway,” he wrote, leaving the mining world buzzing with speculation about who’ll fill his shoes.

Rio Tinto

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