The global leading mining company has appointed Leonardo Paiva as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its Malaysian subsidiary, Vale Malaysia.
Leonardo is taking over the leadership role in Malaysia from Rodrigo Ribeiro de Araújo.
Rodrigo was appointed as Vale in Malaysia CEO in 2019, he is instrumental in the safe recovery of Teluk Rubiah Maritime Terminal (TRMT)’s operations during the pandemic, and the successful roll-out of various automation technologies in the port, including the world’s third fully-automated grab ship unloader.
Aligned with Vale’s renewed purpose in all countries where it operates, Rodrigo also oversaw the delivery of the MYR2.0 million ‘Vale Bersama Manjung’ pandemic recovery program for the communities living in Manjung. Recently, he announced a MYR5.0 million investment to upgrade Vale Eco Center (VEC) to become one of the leading ecotourism hubs in Perak.
The newly-helmed CEO, Leonardo has a track record of steering transformation in the areas of port operations and logistics with 22 years of experience in Vale. His experience culminated in his most recent role as the Mining Executive Manager at the Parapoeba Complex, Brazil; one of Vale’s mines in the southern region of Brazil.
“Vale is committed to a sustainable and viable presence in Malaysia, and we look forward to building upon the progress we have made with the local communities and institutions since we began our presence in Perak a decade ago,” Leonardo says.
“Safety and reliability will continue to be our focus, as it has always been,” he remarked.
TRMT is the largest single foreign direct investment (FDI) in the state of Perak, it is designed to handle up to 30 million tonnes of iron ore. The terminal, which began its operations in 2014, is run by a workforce made up of 97 percent Malaysian; over 60 percent from Manjung.
“In 2019, 90 percent of our workforce were Malaysia. Today, the figure is 97 percent. I assure you that developing local talents and empowering them to be an integral part of Vale’s dynamic global talent community will continue to be our priority moving forward,” Leonardo concludes.
