Freeport has new GM

JAKARTA (JP): Giant gold and copper mining company PT Freeport Indonesia has appointed Hermani Soeprapto to the position of executive vice president and general manager with the responsibility of overseeing the company's operations starting from Oct. 1.

"In naming Hermani as General Manager for Freeport Indonesia, the company has taken an historic step forward in our ongoing Indonesianization program," company president Adrianto Machribie said in a statement on Monday.

Freeport, a subsidiary of the United States mining company Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold, currently operates a huge gold and copper mine in Grasberg, Irian Jaya.

Hermani started working for Freeport as a drilling and blasting foreman in the 1970s and was the company's deputy general manager of Grasberg operations before his appointment to general manager.

Hermani will replace the outgoing general manager Roy Macpherson, who is being transferred to Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold Strategic Planning Group in New Orleans, Lousianna.

"Being named the first Indonesian General Manager of Freeport Indonesia is a great honor for me and the challenge of overseeing the mining operations and its 14,000 employees is a challenge that I'm looking forward to," Hermani said. (jsk)