Isabelle Deschamps, who joined Rio Tinto in 2021, played a key role in the legal restructuring that accelerated development of the Simandou project. The mine entered production in November 2025, with the first shipments of iron ore reaching China in mid-January 2026.

Rio Tinto announced Thursday that Isabelle Deschamps will step down as chief legal officer, governance and public affairs at the Australian mining giant. A well-known figure in Conakry's power circles, Deschamps has held the role since November 2021.

Rio Tinto is a partner in the joint venture operating blocks 3 and 4 of Guinea's Simandou iron ore deposit, which began production in November 2025.

Deschamps joined Rio Tinto shortly after the coup that brought General Mamadi Doumbouya to power in Guinea. The new leader was determined to accelerate Simandou's development timeline and oversaw the signing of a 2022 framework agreement to pool investments for the railway and port infrastructure the project required.

In her role, Deschamps helped structure the partnership's new terms and led several company delegations to Guinea to discuss progress on Simandou-related work. Through improved coordination between authorities and the various companies involved, the project finally entered production after years of delays.

"Since joining in 2021, Isabelle has helped lay the foundations for a stronger Rio Tinto, supporting future growth and reinforcing our commitment to doing mining the right way. I thank Isabelle for her ongoing contribution," said Simon Trott, Rio Tinto's chief executive.

Deschamps will remain in her position until mid-2026 to ensure business continuity while the company finds a replacement.

Guinea has already begun shipping ore from Simandou, with the first shipment arriving in China in mid-January. With several billion tonnes of reserves, Simandou's development could increase Guinea's GDP by 26% by 2030 and double the country's mining export value, according to the IMF.

Emiliano Tossou