In addition, Viljoen will also join the board of directors on 1 January 2026. Palmer will serve as strategic advisor until his retirement on 31 March 2026 to support a seamless leadership transition.

Palmer is only the 10th CEO in Newmont’s 104-year history and has served the company for more than a decade. Natascha Viljoen joined Newmont in 2023 as EVP and COO, bringing with her more than three decades of global leadership experience across multiple commodities and continents. 

Prior to joining Newmont, she served as CEO of Anglo American Platinum (now Valterra), the world’s largest primary producer of platinum, and was a member of the Anglo American Group Management Committee. 

Earlier in her career, she gained hands-on experience working with operators and maintainers in mining and processing and held leadership positions at Anglo American, BHP and Lonmin, earning a reputation for safety leadership, operational discipline, and building high-performance teams.

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