Steve Higgins, who served as senior vice president and chief administrative officer for Freeport-McMoRan, was elected as the chairman of the board for the International Copper Association (ICA).
Higgins, who was also elected to serve as chairman of the London Metal Exchange’s (LME) Copper Committee, will serve a two-year appointment for the nonprofit organization.
He replaces Ivan Arriagada, Group CEO for Antofagasta, who had served as ICA chairman for the last two years.
The new role for Higgins involves guiding the copper industry at an important time, he said. “I have long appreciated the work ICA has undertaken as the leading voice for the copper industry. This is a momentous time for the industry not only because of the essential role copper will play in building back the global economy, but the role copper can play in helping meet global climate emissions targets.”
The executive is a 40-year mining industry veteran, 30 years of which he has served with Freeport-McMoRan.
ICA is made up of 35 organizations, including Freeport-McMoRan, created to support the copper industry and its contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development goals.