Cynthia Carroll facts for kids
Cynthia Blum Carroll (born November 13, 1956) is an American businesswoman. She is well-known for being the chief executive officer (CEO) of Anglo American. This is a large British mining company. Anglo American is especially known as the world's biggest producer of platinum.
Cynthia Carroll started working for Anglo American on October 24, 2006. She joined the company's main board in January 2007. By March 2007, she became the chief executive. She led Anglo American's Executive Committee. She also helped with the Safety and Sustainable Development Committee. She was one of only three women leading a company on the FTSE 100. This is a list of the 100 largest companies on the London Stock Exchange. She was also the first person not from South Africa to be CEO of Anglo American.
The magazine Forbes recognized her power. In 2008, she was ranked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world. She was ranked fourth in 2009 and seventh in 2007 on the same list. Anglo American announced on October 26, 2012, that she would leave her role as chief executive. Since June 6, 2007, she has also been a director for BP, a major energy company.
Before Anglo American, Carroll worked for Alcan. She was the president and CEO of their Primary Metal Group starting in 2002. She first joined Alcan in 1989. In 1996, she became the managing director of a division in Ireland. Before Alcan, she worked for Amoco for eight years. She was a petroleum geologist from 1982 to 1987. She explored for gas and oil in several US states. These included Colorado, Alaska, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana. Cynthia Carroll is married and has four children.
Early Life and Education
Cynthia Carroll studied geology in college. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from Skidmore College in 1978. She continued her studies and received a Master of Science degree in Geology. This was from the University of Kansas in 1982. Later, she earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. This was from Harvard University in 1989.
In 2012, she was honored for her achievements. She was elected as a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. This is a special recognition for engineers.
Career and Leadership
Cynthia Carroll has held important roles in various companies. She used to be a director for Sara Lee. She also served as a director for AngloGold Ashanti Limited. She is also part of the American Aluminium Association. And she sits on the board of the International Aluminium Institute.
During her time at Anglo American, Cynthia Carroll started new projects. She launched a plan to make the company's assets work better. She also brought in a new way of managing called "value based management." A big focus for her was to make mining safer. In 2007, she closed two platinum mines in South Africa. This happened after several accidents. She made sure workers received more safety training.
In 2008, she took part in a special meeting. It was called the Tripartite Safety Summit. Union leaders, government officials, and industry representatives attended. They worked together to improve safety in mining. While Cynthia Carroll was CEO, Anglo American also bought parts of new projects. These included copper projects in Peru and the US. They also bought a coal company in Australia. And an iron ore project in Brazil.
