Top 10: CEOs of Mining Companies in North America

In addition to domestically oriented gold miners, North America hosts a number of stock market-listed mining firms, concentrated around the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange, as well as the cluster of junior miners listed in Vancouver. 

The ranks of mining majors listed in Canada will soon be boosted even further when Anglo American’s merger with Teck Resources receives final approval. 

The executives leading operations in North America are navigating complex geopolitical conditions, rising sustainability expectations and rapid technological change. 

Mining Digital has ranked 10 of the most influential mining leaders shaping the region today by market capitalisation.

10. J. Paul Rollinson, Kinross Gold

Market capitalisation: US$35.86bn

Commodities: Gold

Headquarters: Toronto, Canada

Paul Rollinson was appointed to the role of CEO at Kinross Gold in August 2012, having originally entered the organisation as EVP of Corporate Development in September 2008. Paul has focused on developing brownfield assets or expansions close to existing assets, funded from operating cash flows. An exploration geologist by training, Paul previously worked in investment banking.

9. Ken Seitz, Nutrien

Market capitalisation: US$38.52bn

Commodities: Potash

Headquarters: Calgary, Canada

Ken Seitz serves as President and CEO of Nutrien. Before stepping into the Chief Executive role in 2022, Ken was EVP and CEO of Nutrien's Potash division. Previously, Ken held the position of President and CEO at Canpotex, where he developed significant expertise in international fertiliser supply chains, distribution networks and commercial partnerships.

8. Tim Gitzel, Cameco

Market capitalisation: US$43.73bn

Commodities: Uranium

Headquarters: Toronto, Canada

Tim Gitzel has been CEO of Cameco since July 2011. Tim joined Cameco in January 2007 as Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer. He was subsequently appointed president on May 14, 2010. Before joining Cameco, Tim worked as Executive Vice-President, mining business unit for Orano, with responsibility for its uranium and gold activities.

7. Paul Brink, Franco-Nevada

Market capitalisation: US$51.19bn

Commodities: Gold

Headquarters: Toronto, Canada

Paul Brink has served as President and CEO of Franco-Nevada since May 2020. Prior to that, Paul was the President and COO of Franco-Nevada between May 2018 and May 2020. Paul has worked with Franco-Nevada since its IPO in 2007, and served as SVP Business Development between 2008 and 2018.

6. Haytham Hodaly, Wheaton Precious Metals

Market capitalisation: US$71.19bn

Commodities: Gold, silver, palladium and cobalt

Headquarters: Vancouver, Canada

Haytham Hodaly was appointed CEO of Wheaton in March 2026, having been appointed as President in July 2025. Haytham joined Wheaton from RBC Capital Markets, where he was a Director and Mining Analyst.

Haytham’s extensive experience both as a director of a number of junior mining companies and as an analyst is particularly helpful for Wheaton, given its streaming business model. Since joining Wheaton, Haytham has been instrumental in US$15bn of streaming transactions, including the Antamina silver stream deal concluded in February 2026.

5. Mark Hill, Barrick Mining

Market capitalisation: US$73.38bn

Commodities: Gold, copper

Headquarters: Toronto, Canada

Mark Hill is a seasoned executive in the mining industry with 30 years of experience. First joining Barrick Gold in 2006, he was appointed Group COO and Interim President and CEO of Barrick in September 2025. 

Previously, Mark was responsible for the Latin America and Asia Pacific region. He was also integral in the initial decision to undertake exploration at the Fourmile gold project in Nevada, as well as the current discussions around an IPO covering Barrick’s North American gold assets.

4. Jonathan Price, Teck

Market capitalisation: US$94.24bn (with Anglo American)

Commodities: Copper, Zinc and Lead

Headquarters: Toronto, Canada

Jonathan Price was appointed President and CEO of Teck in November 2023, and has been a member of Teck’s Board of Directors since July 2022. Jonathan was appointed as CEO in September 2022. Jonathan previously served as EVP and CFO after joining Teck in October 2020. Jonathan has overseen Teck’s spinoff of its metallurgical coal assets into Elk Valley Resources in 2023 and its upcoming merger with Anglo American, which is expected to be finalised by Q1 2027.

3. Ammar Al-Joundi, Agnico Eagle Mines

Market capitalisation: US$102.57bn

Commodities: Copper, gold and molybdenum

Headquarters: Toronto, Canada

Ammar Al-Joundi is the President and CEO of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, a position he has held since February 2022. Prior to this appointment, he was President of Agnico Eagle from 2015 to 2022 and from 2010 to 2012, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Agnico Eagle. Ammar had previously occupied senior executive positions at Barrick Gold between 2010 and 2015, including CFO between 2012 and 2015. Agnico Eagle Mines is Canada’s most valuable gold miner and a major North American mining company.

2. Kathleen Quirk, Freeport-McMoRan

Market capitalisation: US$109.46bn

Commodities: Copper, gold and molybdenum

Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona

Kathleen Quirk has served as CEO at Freeport-McMoRan since 2024. Kathleen was appointed as Chief Financial Officer in 2003, having previously occupied various corporate leadership functions. 

She advanced to President of Freeport in 2021, joined its Board of Directors in 2023 and assumed the CEO position in 2024.

Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Freeport-McMoRan is a global leader in the metals sector, with a strategic focus on expanding its copper production. The mining company manages an extensive, geographically varied portfolio of long-life assets backed by substantial reserves of copper, gold and molybdenum. Freeport-McMoRan’s core operations include Grasberg Mine in Indonesia, operations in Morenci and Bagdad, Arizona, as well as the Cerro Verde mine in Peru.

1. Natascha Viljoen, Newmont

Market capitalisation: US$135.62bn

Commodities: Gold, copper, zinc, lead and silver

Headquarters: Denver, Colorado

Natascha Viljoen was appointed President and CEO of Newmont on 1 January 2026, succeeding Tom Palmer. Natascha joined Newmont in 2023 as EVP and COO, bringing with her more than three decades of global leadership experience across multiple commodities and continents. 

Before joining Newmont, Natascha 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 plc Group Management Committee. 

Newmont is the world’s leading gold company and a producer of copper, zinc, lead and silver. Since taking the reins, Natascha has overseen a number of changes at senior leadership level, including the appointment of new Chief Commercial, Chief Technical and Chief Financial officers in July, with the intention of strengthening project execution and delivery. 

Concurrently, Newmont has been involved in a protracted dispute with Barrick over the inclusion of excluded properties, including Barrick’s Fourmile and Newmont’s Fiberline and Mike developments, into the Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) joint venture. The dispute was resolved in August 2026.