A claim to be the “best operator” in the global mining industry is shaping as a pivotal plank in BHP’s pitch to Anglo American investors, seizing on an opportunity that Rio Tinto chief Jakob Stausholm has helped create for his biggest rival.
Stausholm has regularly cited his desire for Rio to “get back” to being the best operator, in a strategic goal that effectively concedes that someone other than Rio is the best in the business right now.