Dushnisky takes over at AngloGold as the Johannesburg-based miner considers its future in its home country, which now accounts for just 13 percent of total output. The mining industry in South Africa is protesting rule changes proposed last month by the government and AngloGold is also grappling with new regulations that threaten profits at operations in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Dushnisky's responsibilities at Barrick included dealing with host governments and communities, as well as overseeing operations at the world's largest gold producer.
"Kelvin's background is in government relations and community stakeholder relations," Michael Faralla, the head of global mining at TD Securities, said by phone Monday. "That's a really big part of what AngloGold needs."
Dushnisky will join AngloGold on Sept. 1, the company said Monday. He replaces Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan, who will leave AngloGold at the end of August to become CEO of Vedanta Resources Plc.
Dushnisky joined Barrick in 2002, progressing through a number of senior positions and became president in 2015. Under his leadership, and that of Executive Chairman John Thornton, the company fought its way out from under a heavy debt load, implementing harsh austerity measures.