Copper miner Freeport-McMoRan has appointed Cory Stevens as president and COO of Freeport Americas, effective December 1.
Stevens, who joined Freeport in 1997, has held various leadership roles across the company’s North and South American operations and most recently led the team responsible for developing Freeport’s smelter project in Indonesia. He currently heads the company’s centralised technical organisation, overseeing engineering, construction, growth projects – including Freeport’s innovative leach initiative – as well as operational support and research and development.
Under the new structure, Stevens’ remit will expand to include oversight of all Americas operations.
He succeeds Josh Olmsted, who has served as president and COO of Freeport Americas since 2020. Olmsted will remain with the company in a senior advisory capacity.
“Cory is a remarkably talented innovator, champion for value creation and a highly respected and inspirational technical leader,” said Freeport president and CEO Kathleen Quirk. “His capabilities match up extremely well with Freeport’s extensive opportunities for growth in the coming years, and our efforts to adopt innovative approaches to increase copper production in a safe, responsible and cost-efficient manner.”
Quirk thanked Olmsted for his leadership, noting that he “built a strong foundation for the future” and successfully led the Americas team “during a challenging time in the industry during and following the pandemic.”
Stevens holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and a Master of Business Administration from Western New Mexico University. Edited by Mariaan Webb
