Rio Tinto's board has 3 times as many men named Simon than women

[LONDON] Mining giant Rio Tinto has three times the number of men named Simon on its board of directors than women.

Rio will have just one woman director, Megan Clark, after the company announced Wednesday that Moya Greene will step down with immediate effect.

The nine-strong board is otherwise all-male and all-white and includes three men named Simon, including the chairman.

The resignations put a spotlight on the gender gap in the mining industry, a industry long dominated by men with a reputation for tough working conditions and hard physical labour.

Rio said in its annual report that it has a long-term target for women to make up one-third of its directors and that it will increase female representation on the board as vacancies arise.

Ms Greene has been on the board for less than a year and said the role was taking up more time than she expected.

The company started 2019 with three women on its board, but Ann Godbehere retired earlier in the year.

"The time commitment has proven more considerable than I had expected and I have taken the difficult decision to step down from Rio in order to re-focus on my other roles," Ms Greene said.

BLOOMBERG