# Ivan Vella

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer

## Career chronology

- **From 11 December 2023: IGO Limited** — Managing Director and CEO. [Vella commencement announcement](<https://company-announcements.afr.com/asx/igo/0505c02d-97a1-11ee-b8a9-beac838d6746.pdf>) (Page 1)

- **More than 20 years to November 2023; precise start dates not established: Rio Tinto** — Chief Executive Aluminium and earlier interim iron ore CEO and Oyu Tolgoi COO. [IGO FY2026 annual report](<https://asx.api.markitdigital.com/asx-research/1.0/file/2924-03126723-6A1340526>) (PDF p.18 / printed p.16); [CEO appointment and policy-breach response](<https://www.igo.com.au/site/PDF/5ac111e9-0830-466d-979d-2cc40ffd0ba7/ManagingDirectorampCEOAppointmentUpdate>) (Page 1)

## Education and qualifications

### Reported qualifications [vella_education]

Issuer biography · issuer reported · low materiality

IGO reports BBus, MBus and MBA qualifications; awarding institutions and independent confirmation were not established.

**Attribution:** Responsibility not applicable. These are reported qualifications, not independent verification.

**Relevance:** Background relevant to the stated role.

[IGO FY2026 annual report](<https://asx.api.markitdigital.com/asx-research/1.0/file/2924-03126723-6A1340526>) (Executive biography / appointment)

## Contributions and company outcomes

### FY2026 recovery followed major FY2025 loss [vella_fin]

FY2025–FY2026 · issuer reported · high materiality

IGO reported a FY2025 net loss of A$954.6m including A$605.1m Kwinana impairment on its 49% basis. FY2026 net profit was A$145.3m; the company cited stronger commodity prices and reported Nova production above guidance, while Kwinana remained below guidance.

**Attribution:** Role overlaps event; causation unproven. Vella was CEO; commodity prices, joint-venture operators and teams also affected outcomes, and his personal causal contribution is not established.

**Relevance:** Balanced evidence of operating and capital-allocation performance.

[IGO FY2025 annual report](<https://asx.api.markitdigital.com/asx-research/1.0/file/2924-02984939-6A1280558>) (Printed pp.22–23 financial review); [IGO FY2026 annual report](<https://asx.api.markitdigital.com/asx-research/1.0/file/2924-03126723-6A1340526>) (PDF pp.25–26 financial review)

## Governance and interests

### Rio Tinto terminated employment after confidentiality policy breach [vella_conf]

2023 · documented · high materiality

Rio Tinto reported that Vella’s employment was terminated on 15 November 2023 because actions did not follow its requirements for managing confidential information. IGO said its board reviewed the facts with Rio Tinto, that Vella accepted accountability for a policy breach and, based on what was known, no information was compromised. Vella expressed regret and said there was no ill intent.

**Attribution:** Individual involvement documented. The companies explicitly identify Vella and the policy issue; the specific information and internal investigation details are not public.

**Relevance:** Directly relevant to confidential-information governance.

[Rio Tinto 2023 annual report](<https://asx.api.markitdigital.com/asx-research/1.0/file/2924-02775267-3A636906>) (Remuneration report, executive changes); [CEO appointment and policy-breach response](<https://www.igo.com.au/site/PDF/5ac111e9-0830-466d-979d-2cc40ffd0ba7/ManagingDirectorampCEOAppointmentUpdate>) (Page 1, review and Vella response)

### Rio post-Juukan relationship repair and communication [vella_heritage]

2020–2021 · documented · medium materiality

Rio appointed Vella interim iron-ore chief after Juukan Gorge’s destruction. In February 2021 traditional owners said they had not been adequately consulted over his replacement, and Rio acknowledged communication mistakes; the joint response said there had been no intention to mislead.

**Attribution:** Role overlaps event; causation unproven. He held the interim role after the destruction; the record does not attribute the destruction or communication decision to him.

**Relevance:** Context for stakeholder and heritage engagement.

[Rio Tinto and PKKP communication after leadership change](<https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-05/rio-tinto-acknowledges-mistakes-juukan-gorge/13127130>) (Report and joint statement)

## Evidence gaps

- Exact historical responsibilities and financial contribution at Rio Tinto are not independently quantified.

- Detailed original Rio Tinto investigation and any later internal review were not accessible.

- Degrees and memberships were not independently verified.

- Court and regulatory searches are not exhaustive.

- A single combined broad name-and-employer query was reused across nine topics; independent topic-specific and complete regulator/court searches remain incomplete.
