BHP’s bet on Ecuadorian copper will be managed by a familiar face after a 24-year veteran of the multinational miner was appointed managing director of SolGold, in a move that could cool simmering tensions within the ranks of the rockstar exploration company.

Darryl Cuzzubbo will take the reins at SolGold on December 1, ending a long search to replace Brisbane-based Nick Mather whose leadership strategy had in recent years angered SolGold’s biggest shareholders, BHP and Newcrest Mining.