Direct Nickel appoints former Rio Tinto executive as chairman

By Ruli Setiawan

ASX-listed Direct Nickel Limited said that London-based Andrew Vickerman has accepted an invitation to become Chairman of the board. Vincent Sweeney who has held the position since October 2011 will remain on the board as a non-executive director.

?We are delighted that Andrew has accepted the Chairman?s role. Securing someone of his calibre, profile and experience within the resources sector gives us an added boost as we enter into the exciting stage of bringing our first commercial plant to fruition in Indonesia,? Sweeney said in a statement Wednesday.

During the period 1998 to 2009 Vickerman was a member of the Operating and Executive Committees of Rio Tinto, with responsibility for communications and external relations. During the period 1994 to 1998 he was Finance Director of Lihir Gold Limited. Prior to that he worked with RTZ Mining & Metals as commercial advisor. With a background in economics and finance he has previously worked as a consultant for the World Bank.

Vickerman first joined the Direct Nickel board in May as a non-executive director.

Direct Nickel said it has developed a game changing process for extracting nickel from nickel laterite deposits. It will position Direct Nickel as one of the lowest cash cost producers in the global nickel industry in the next five years. The process offers unparalleled cost efficiency, capital savings and environmental benefits, it claimed.

The company said in February of this year that it was teaming up with IDX-listed PT Aneka Tambang (Antam) to develop the first commercial plant using Direct Nickel?s DNi nickel processing technology at Antam?s Buli mining operation in Halmahera, Indonesia.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak