Anglo vs. BHP: CEOs clash over the same vision for the future

As Anglo American Plc and BHP Group vie for shareholder favour, CEOs Duncan Wanblad and Mike Henry present competing visions for the mining giant's future. Wanblad pushes a radical independence plan, rejecting BHP's takeover bid, while Henry emphasizes BHP's track record and strategic acquisitions. Both leaders champion copper and plan major asset realignments, but their approaches to value creation and South African operations starkly diverge..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here..By Thomas Biesheuvel and William Clowes.As Anglo American Plc sets out a survival plan that echoes the vision of its suitor BHP Group, the rival mining bosses are now locked in a battle to convince shareholders they are the man for the job. .___STEADY_PAYWALL___.Anglo Chief Executive Officer Duncan Wanblad and his BHP counterpart Mike Henry took center stage on Tuesday, as the personalities behind two of the world's biggest miners came to the fore. Wanblad presented his own radical turnaround plan to investors, before Henry made his first public remarks on BHP's bid at a conference in Miami.."We don't need BHP to deliver this strategy, we absolutely do not need them at all," Wanblad said in an interview on Tuesday. "We can deliver this.".BHP wants Anglo to spin off its two listed South African businesses producing iron ore and platinum, before the world's biggest miner acquires the rest of its assets. Anglo would also separate its Anglo American Platinum Ltd. unit, while exiting diamond mining and selling its coal business. Both CEOs see copper as the crown jewel..Duncan Wanblad and Mike Henry Photographer: Dwayne Senior and Ian Waldie/Bloomberg.Read More: Anglo Goes for Bold Breakup Plan in Move to Fend Off BHP.Hours after Wanblad made his pitch, BHP's Henry told the same conference that Anglo's shareholders must choose between the two management teams..Read more: Shell's SA exit: A mix of money, politics, and electric dreams – Andrew Kenny."Shareholders must decide which plan creates the greatest value, soonest," Henry said "Which team has the better track record of execution.".Henry, who has been at the helm of BHP since 2020, has had time to stamp his image on the company. In a series of sweeping reforms, he implemented the biggest shakeup at the company since its creation two decades earlier..But he also inherited a stronger company than Wanblad. In Australia, BHP has some of the most profitable iron ore operations and it also runs the world's biggest copper mine. It has no exposure to commodities such as platinum and diamonds, which have caused Anglo problems as prices slumped..Read more: 🔒 Anglo CEO Duncan Wanblad needs to kill some darlings: Javier Blas.Still, there have also been missteps by Henry, such as betting on nickel before the market collapsed and wading into a South African election campaign when his approach for Anglo became public..Wanblad by contrast has faced a tougher start. While the company he inherited was riding high, buoyed by soaring commodity prices, some of Anglo's key markets quickly soured, exposing flaws in some of the underlying businesses. That ultimately led Wanblad to launch the root-and-branch review of the business..Both Henry and Wanblad have been at their respective companies for decades, working their way up to the top job. Canadian Henry is described by those who work with him as incredibly detail driven, making decisions based on cold logic and hard facts. South African Wanblad, like his counterpart at BHP, is described by employees as deeply analytical but with a reputation for being more personable..The two disagreed on their respective plans for South Africa, which is turning into a key battleground. Henry said Anglo's own plan to spin off its Amplats platinum business is "a pretty clear indicator that it is doable.".The "key difference" between the two proposals is that BHP's plan involves securing simultaneous regulatory approval in South Africa for a pair of demergers and the top-level transaction, Anglo's Wanblad said in an interview..Such an "unprecedented" undertaking would be "all potentially at the expense of Anglo shareholders," he said..Wanblad, who like Henry is meeting investors in Miami this week, will hope those shareholders back his vision.."I don't believe at all that BHP has a better management team than Anglo," he said. "Our plan will make the company much stronger than we are today, especially at the bottom of cycles." .Read also:.Investors predict BHP will raise offer for Anglo American after rejectionAnglo's defence plan: Offloading De Beers; unbundling AngloPlat; selling Coal Anglo American in a race against time amid BHP takeover bid.© 2024 Bloomberg L.P.

Anglo vs. BHP: CEOs clash over the same vision for the future

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