How I Did It: Lessons from the Front Lines of Business

Anglo American’s CEO on Getting Serious About Safety

by Cynthia Carroll

Cynthia Carroll is the CEO of Anglo American plc.

The Idea

Mining involves risk, and some executives believe fatalities are inevitable. But after nearly 200 on-the-job deaths in the five years prior to her arrival, Carroll decided to take a public stand to create safer working conditions.

When I became the CEO of Anglo American, in 2007, I encountered plenty of challenges. For decades the company had been made up of unrelated businesses, and had been organized and managed accordingly. I believed it needed a clear vision, guiding values, an overarching strategy, common business objectives, and, above all, a safe working environment for its employees. In my experience, a ...