Mining and metals company South32 said on Monday that Anglo American executive Matthew Daley would become its new CEO in 2026, replacing Graham Kerr who would step down later that year after leading the company since its demerger from BHP.

Daley would join the diversified miner as deputy CEO on February 2, 2026, before succeeding Kerr later in the year, the company said in a statement.

Currently technical and operations director at Anglo American and a member of its executive leadership team, Daley joined Anglo American in 2017 as group head of mining. His earlier experience includes senior roles at Glencore’s Canadian copper division, Xstrata and Minera Alumbrera.

The appointment, South32 said in a statement, followed a comprehensive global search by the board, which evaluated internal and external candidates.

“As we embark on this leadership transition, I want to recognise the outstanding contribution Graham has made over a decade of service through the company’s demerger from BHP and the subsequent transformation of its portfolio,” South32 chairperson Karen Wood said.

“Matthew is a highly accomplished executive with extensive operational and leadership experience, including in copper and in the Americas, and the board is confident he is the right successor for Graham.”

Kerr, who has led South32 since its spin-off from BHP in 2015, will remain with the company through the transition period to support Daley’s onboarding.

“It has been an honour to be part of South32 and lead the business through its first ten years,” Kerr said. “When Matthew assumes the role, he will bring fresh leadership to continue South32’s transformation into the next decade.”

Daley said he was excited to join the company during what he described as a pivotal period of growth. “South32’s portfolio has evolved substantially in recent years and is well positioned for potential future growth with a strong balance sheet, an attractive commodity mix, and a pipeline of options in highly prospective regions,” he said.

South32, headquartered in Perth, has operations across Australia, Southern Africa and the Americas, with a portfolio spanning alumina, manganese, zinc and copper. The company has been reshaping its asset base in recent years to align more closely with the global energy transition.

Kerr’s leadership has been marked by a focus on safety, cost discipline and portfolio optimisation. “His safety-focused leadership has enabled the ongoing delivery of our global, multi-year Safety Improvement Program which remains core to the pursuit of improvements in our safety performance,” said Wood.

Meanwhile, Anglo American CEO Duncan Wanblad congratulated Daley on his appointment and wished him well in his new role at South32.

"In his eight years at Anglo American, Matt has brought his considerable energy and passion for mining to his teams and the company as a whole. We thank him for his significant contribution, most recently his leadership in driving operational excellence, and nowhere more so than in the extensive safety improvement work that he has championed," said Wanblad.

Anglo American appointed Tom McCulley as technical director, succeeding Daley. "Tom’s outstanding technical and leadership capabilities position him well to support our operations in sustaining their much improved performance and identifying opportunities for further value enhancement," commented Wanblad.