JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Rio Tinto subsidiary Palabora Mining has appointed Tony Lennox as new MD, as Matthew Gili steps down after five-and-a-half years at the JSE-listed copper and vermiculite company.

Gili leaves Palabora to take on a new role at the Oyu Tolgoi copper project in Mongolia, which Rio Tinto and Ivanhoe Mines are developing.

Lennox, whose appointment will take effect on July 12, joins Palabora from Rio Tinto Energy's Kestrel coal project in Queensland, where he is currently GM.

Gili would remain at Palabora over the next few months until a smooth and effective transition has been completed, chairperson Clifford Zungu said in a statement.

He said that Gili leaves Palabora in a strong position, with work under way to complete phase two drilling to access the remaining copper orebody and to assess the potential economic impact of a second lift in the underground operations.

"Under his leadership, Palabora's safety performance continued to improve, concluded the broad-based black economic empowerment transaction, and maintained a stable business through the global economic downturn," Zungu added.

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