Cynthia Carroll

Cynthia Blum Carroll (born November 13, 1956 ) is an American  businesswoman. She was the chief executive officer of Anglo American PLC, a South African mining company, which, among other things, is the world's largest platinum producer.

On October 24, 2006, Carroll was hired by Anglo American, and joined the board in January 2007, becoming chief executive at the beginning of March 2007. She chaired Anglo American’s Executive Committee and sat on the Safety and Sustainable Development Committee. She was one of only three female chief executives of FTSE 100 companies and the first non-South African to hold the post with Anglo American.

In 2008 she was ranked by the magazine Forbes as the fifth most powerful woman in the world. She was ranked fourth in 2009 and seventh in 2007 by the same list.

Her annual salary at Anglo American was £1,050,000 with an annual bonus of £319,000.

Anglo American announced on October 26, 2012, that Carroll would step down as chief executive.

She has been a non-executive director of BP since June 6, 2007.

Carroll previously worked for Alcan, as president and chief executive officer of the Primary Metal Group since 2002. She joined Alcan in 1989. In January 1996 she was promoted to managing director of the Aughinish Alumina division, located on Aughinish Island, Askeaton, County Limerick, Ireland. Before joining Alcan, she worked for Amoco, which is now part of British Petroleum, for eight years as a petroleum geologist, from 1982 to 1987, working in gas and oil exploration in Colorado, Alaska, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana.

She is married with four children.

Early years and career
Carroll graduated from Skidmore College in 1978, a Bachelor of Science in Geology. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Geology from the University of Kansas (1982) and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard University (1989).

In 2012 she was elected a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

She formerly served as a director of Sara Lee and AngloGold Ashanti Limited. She also sits on the Boards of American Aluminium Association and the International Aluminium Institute.

Cynthia Carroll has launched a number of new initiatives within the business, including an asset optimisation project; the introduction of the value based management methodology within Anglo American; and a push to improve safety performance. In 2007, she closed two platinum shafts in South Africa following a number of fatalities until the workforce received more safety training. She participated in the Tripartite Safety Summit in 2008 with union, government and industry representatives to address safety concerns in the mining industry Since Cynthia Carroll took over as chief executive, Anglo American has acquired stakes in two copper projects Michiquillay in Peru and Pebble in the US; a coal company Foxleigh in Australia;  and the iron ore project in Brazil, Minas-Rio.