Rio Tinto hunts broadly for new CEO, in contrast with strong BHP bench

MELBOURNE/LONDON (Reuters) -As Rio Tinto searches for a new CEO, the miner will cast a wide net due to a very short list of possible internal candidates, sources said, in contrast with laser-focused succession planning at its main rival BHP. Rio, the world's largest iron ore miner, took investors by surprise on Thursday when the company announced CEO Jakob Stausholm will step down later this year once a successor is appointed. One source familiar with the matter said the board had held meetings on the succession in recent months with the help of executive recruitment firm MWM Consulting, vetting internal candidates including Bold Baatar, Simon Trott and Jerome Pecresse, while looking for external leaders too.