Blankenship will remain Massey’s chairman and chief executive officer.

Phillips’ new duties include an increased involvement and oversight of the producer’s aggressive strategic growth plans. Meanwhile, he will also remain a member of the board of directors.

Phillips will also continue the management of Massey’s Richmond headquarter functions, including sales, finance, human resources, information systems and investor relations.

A member of the company for 27 years, Phillips most recently served as its executive vice-president and chief administrative officer. Other functions performed with Massey have included export sales, purchasing, treasury, cash management, human resources and benefits, and he served as senior vice-president and chief financial officer from August 2003 to November 2004.

“Baxter's promotion will enable me to provide more intensive leadership to ensure the success of the capital expansion project we embarked on a year ago to increase production at our Central Appalachian coal mining operations," said Blankenship.

“I have absolute confidence that Baxter's experience will help the company deal with the current volatile financial markets, help us expand our metallurgical customer base and increase shareholder value."

The Virginia native is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University.