Rio Tinto chief executive Simon Trott has unveiled a new corporate structure that will shift power closer to the mines at the expense of centralised global teams, and is expected to trigger the exit of many senior managers.

Trott vowed to simplify the mining giant when appointed to replace Jakob Stausholm in July, ending a 4½-year period in which Rio bolstered its ranks in a bid to rebuild its reputation and relationships with governments and communities following the Juukan Gorge scandal.