He said he had intended to announce his retirement last year but chose to stay on while BHP dealt with the aftermath of the Samarco mine disaster in Brazil.
Certain commodities tend to fly under the radar for periods of time. One of those metals that comes and goes is zinc – and after shooting up in price over 35% this year, it definitely has the attention of many investors and speculators again.
BHP is not the first major player to flag green shoots in the mining industry. Caterpillar, the world's largest heavy machinery maker, said the same last month.
