BHP has appointed Brandon Craig as the new CEO, succeeding Mike Henry, who will step down after six and a half years in the role.
Craig takes over as CEO on July 1 following a formal CEO succession process. He is currently BHP’s President Americas, leading the company’s growth strategy in future-facing commodities across Canada, the United States and South America.
During his time in the role, BHP has become the world’s largest copper producer and advanced growth options in copper and potash.
He has also advanced BHP’s high-quality growth options, increasing copper guidance for fiscal 2026 and 2027 and targeting around 2.5 million tonnes of copper equivalent production per year by the mid-2030s.
Under his leadership, Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine, has extended its grade and production guidance through productivity improvements and a focus on operational excellence.
“As incoming CEO, I am committed to leading the talented and hard-working people who make BHP a great company and continuing to generate long-term value for all our shareholders,” Craig said.
The incoming CEO also praised his predecessor’s tenure, noting Henry’s “strategic decision-making, portfolio transformation, operational excellence and focus on safety and high-performance culture”.
Henry led BHP’s transformation into a simpler company, through demerging its petroleum business, high-grading its coal business, simplifying its listing structure and pivoting towards growth in copper and potash.
Henry has also given increased focus on BHP’s copper portfolio. Under his leadership, BHP has established itself as the world’s largest copper producer, with over half of BHP’s recent half-year earnings sourced from copper and a significant volume of growth to come.
“BHP is a safer and higher performing company and is better positioned for future growth. We are creating sustainable long-term value for our shareholders, our supply chain, partners and our communities,” Henry said.
BHP Chair, Ross McEwan said: “We are very pleased an executive of Brandon Craig’s calibre and extensive experience has been appointed as our new CEO to lead the execution of our strategy.
“I am confident that his discipline and focus will continue to drive BHP’s high-performance culture and advance the company’s unrivalled pipeline of growth options to maximise shareholder returns.”
