Reporting to executive vice-president and CEO Eric Ford in new positions are: group executive for Powder River Basin operations Jeane Hull, senior vice-president of engineering and continuous improvement Charles Meintjes, and group vice-president of operations Kemal Williamson.

Also reporting to Ford are vice-president of safety David Beerbower, vice-president of operational planning Michael Crews, and managing director of Australia operations Julian Thornton.

Hull will have responsibility for all aspects of the operations in the Powder River Basin including the North Antelope Rochelle, Caballo and Rawhide mines.

Hull joined the company in May 2007 and previously held positions with Kennecott Utah Copper, Rio Tinto, Mobil Mining and Minerals and Mobil Chemical Company.

Meintjes will be responsible for the global delivery of engineering, environmental, geology, design and construction services, as well as continuous improvement initiatives at Peabody.

He joined the company in August 2007 and has previous experience with Exxaro Resources, Kumba Resources, Iscor and Alusaf in South Africa.

Williamson will be responsible for Peabody's US mining operations in the Midwest, Colorado and the Southwest. He most recently served as group vice-president of Western Operations for Peabody.

Prior to joining Peabody, he held a variety of mining operations positions in Wyoming and Australia.

Among those reporting to Williamson is George Schuller Jr, in the new position of vice-president of New Mine Development.

Schuller has more than 20 years of mining engineering and management experience with Peabody, previously in positions in West Virginia and Kentucky, in addition to his prior roles as general manager of operations support and general manager of underground operations for Peabody's Australian operations in Queensland.