JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Norton Gold Fields announced on Thursday that it would relocate its head office from Perth to Kalgoorlie before the end of the year and that its CEO and MD Dianmin Chen would leave the company in the coming months.
The changes follow the takeover by China’s Zijin Mining.
Chen was appointed as CEO of Norton in August 2012, and has overseen a prosperous period for the company in which gold production increased, production costs declined and overall profitability substantially improved. He also reinforced a strong culture of safety within Norton.
“Dianmin has provided Zijin with an invaluable bridge into the Australian market and has done an excellent job of ensuring Zijin’s investment in Norton has been a successful one,” chairperson Jinghe Chen commented.
Zijin expected to finalise the composition of the Norton board in the near future.
Meanwhile, Norton said that it would relocate its head office as a cost saving measure and to more closely align its corporate and site offices.