Gold major Newmont has named its South African-born COO, Natascha Viljoen, as its next president and CEO.
This marks the first time in the American companys 104-year history that a woman will lead the worlds largest gold miner with a market capitalisation of 99.45 billion R1.72 trillion.
The company has announced that Viljoen, who currently serves as its Chief Operating Officer, will take over as President and CEO on 1 January 2026, following the retirement of Tom Palmer.
Viljoen was born in 1970 in Klerksdorp, a mining town in South Africas North West province.
She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of the North West and an Executive MBA from the University of Cape Town.
She began her career in 1991 as a trainee engineer at Iscor, before building up three decades of experience across some of the worlds largest mining companies.
Her career includes senior roles at BHP, AngloGold, and Lonmin, where she served as executive vice president of processing and oversaw the companys sustainability and health programmes.
