Vale announces Deshnee Naidoo as Executive Vice President of Base Metals, effective December 20, 2021. Deshnee is replacing Mark Travers, who led Vale’s Base Metals’ business for the last 3 years. Since joining Vale in January 2021 as CFO of the Base Metals business, Deshnee has collaborated across Base Metals to understand the challenges and opportunities to accelerate the transformation. She also built greater financial discipline and cost management, while also setting the grounds for business growth.
Prior to joining Vale, Deshnee was the CEO of the Zinc International business at Vedanta Resources from 2014 to 2020, where she held full P&L accountability for the international Zinc group and led its transformation and growth during this period to be recognized as a global Zinc producer. She took on the role of CEO Africa Base Metals during her tenure at Vedanta. Deshnee previously worked at Anglo American from 1998 to 2014, where she held a number of executive positions including the Chief of Staff from 2009 to 2011. She was also the CFO for Anglo American’s thermal coal business from 2011 to 2014.
Among Deshnee’s many personal and professional accomplishments, Deshnee is a three-time “South Africa Mining Rainmaker”, was recognized among the 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining in 2018 and has served as a Board Member of the South Africa Minerals Council.
Deshnee brings diverse mining experience; her multifunctional and multicommodity roles have spanned corporate and operational levels, across many geographies and will ensure ability to turnaround the Base Metals business by seizing the opportunity Vale has to lead sustainable mining. Vale’s CEO, Eduardo Bartolomeo.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Mark for all his contributions over his 20 years with the organization. Mark has set the Base Metals business up for the future helping to build the base for a safer and more reliable business. He also led the divestment of Vale New Caledonia (VNC), the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion agenda, our ESG commitments and secured our growth projects in Brazil, Canada and Indonesia. Vale’s CEO, Eduardo Bartolomeo.
