Kelly O'Rourke has been with South32 since February 2016, initially as head of corporate affairs and investor relations before becoming vice president of corporate affairs in November 2018, chief external affairs officer in October 2020, and as chief legal & external affairs officer and company secretary in July 2021.
Prior to South32, Ms O'Rourke spent over 9 years at BHP Billiton, working in its London offices, and was the youngest person and first female to be appointed as senior manager of strategy and performance for the Office of the Chief Executive. She joined BHP Billiton in 2007 before leaving the UK in mid-2012 to work in its acquisition and divestment teams in Singapore and Melbourne.
Ms O'Rourke has also worked extensively in West Africa and Asia including Liberia, Guinea, Gabon, China and Singapore. She was one of the key negotiators in the acquisition of BHP Billiton’s iron ore interests in West Africa.
In 2014, she was a finalist in the Australian Woman of the Year in the UK Award.
