ST. LOUIS, June 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Peabody Energy today announced organizational changes in the management of its U.S. coal operations to meet ongoing growth needs and continue to broaden skill sets and management development.
Reporting to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Eric Ford in new positions are: Group Executive for Powder River Basin Operations Jeane L. Hull, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Continuous Improvement Charles F. Meintjes, and Group Vice President of Operations Kemal Williamson. Also reporting to Ford are Vice President of Safety David A. Beerbower, Vice President of Operational Planning Michael C. Crews, and Managing Director of Australia Operations Dr. Julian Thornton.
-- Jeane L. Hull will have responsibility for all aspects of the operations in the Powder River Basin including the North Antelope Rochelle, Caballo and Rawhide mines. Hull joined the company in May 2007 as Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technical Services. Prior to that, she was Chief Operating Officer for Kennecott Utah Copper. She held numerous management positions with Rio Tinto and affiliates and served as Vice President of Operations for Kennecott Utah Copper, Vice President of Technical Services and Business Improvement and General Manager of Spring Creek Coal. Prior to joining Rio Tinto, Hull spent 12 years with Mobil Mining and Minerals and Mobil Chemical Company, including 10 years with a Powder River Basin coal mine. Hull has additional engineering, environmental and regulatory affairs experience in the public and private sector. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and an MBA from Nova University in Florida. She is a registered professional engineer. -- Charles F. Meintjes will be responsible for the global delivery of engineering, environmental, geology, design and construction services, as well as continuous improvement initiatives at Peabody. He joined the company in August 2007 as Senior Vice President of Operations Improvement. His previous experience includes consultant to Exxaro Resources Limited in Pretoria, South Africa, and former Executive Director, board member and Executive Vice President of Support Services of Kumba Resources Limited, one of the largest iron ore, coal, zinc and heavy minerals mining companies in South Africa. He also has senior management experience in continuous improvement and information services with Iscor Limited (now Mittal Steel) and Alusaf Limited in South Africa. Meintjes holds Bachelor of Commerce degrees in Accounting from both Rand Afrikaans University and the University of South Africa. -- Kemal Williamson will be responsible for Peabody's U.S. mining operations in the Midwest, Colorado and the Southwest. Williamson most recently served as Group Vice President of Western Operations for Peabody. With more than 25 years of experience in mining engineering and operations, he has served as Group Executive for Midwest Operations and Group Executive for Powder River Basin Operations. He joined Peabody as Director of Land Management in 2000. Prior to joining Peabody, he held a variety of mining operations positions in Wyoming and Australia. Williamson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. -- Among those reporting to Williamson is George J. Schuller Jr., in the new position of Vice President of New Mine Development. Schuller most recently served as Vice President of Operations Improvement. He has more than 20 years of mining engineering and management experience with Peabody. This includes positions in West Virginia and Kentucky, where he served as Mine Manager, Superintendent and Operations Manager at Peabody mines. He also served as General Manager of Operations Support and General Manager of Underground Operations for Peabody's Australia Operations in Queensland. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering from West Virginia University in Morgantown and an MBA from the University of Charleston.
Peabody Energy is the world's largest private-sector coal company, with 2007 sales of 238 million tons of coal and $4.6 billion in revenues. Its coal products fuel approximately 10 percent of all U.S. electricity generation and 2 percent of worldwide electricity.
CONTACT: Beth Sutton (505) 287-2636
