Carroll has spent most of her career leading global businesses in the industrial sector. In 2009, she was ranked fourth on Forbes’ list of the most powerful women in the world, moving up from number five on that same list in 2008. Cynthia is the only woman to have been the CEO of a major mining company.
From 2007 to 2013, Cynthia served as CEO of Anglo American plc. At the time, Anglo American was one of the largest and most diversified mining companies in the world employing approximately 160,000 people with operations on six continents and a market capitalization of approximately $40 billion. Anglo American ranked in the top 20 companies on the London Stock Exchange’s FTSE 100 Index. Prior to Anglo American, Cynthia was CEO of Alcan Aluminum Corporation’s Primary Metal group, the company’s core business. While at Alcan Aluminum, Carroll held various executive roles, including president of Bauxite, Alumina and Specialty Chemicals. She began her career as an exploration geologist at Amoco Production Company joining Alcan Aluminum.
Carroll sits on the boards of Hitachi Ltd, American Securities, Baker Hughes, Pembina Pipeline, and Glencore. She previously chaired the boards of Anglo American Platinum Ltd, De Beers Société Anonyme, and Vedanta Resources Holdings Ltd. and has also served on the boards of BP, the International Council on Mining and Metals, the International Aluminium Institute, The Aluminum Association and the Sara Lee Corporation.
Carroll is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineers and a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. She holds a bachelor’s in geology from Skidmore College, a master’s in geology from the University of Kansas, and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. She has also been awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Exeter, honorary Doctorate of Law from Skidmore College and an honorary Doctorate of Economics from the University of Limerick.
