SINGAPORE — Anglo American Plc has appointed Mark Cutifani as chief executive officer, effective April 3.

Cynthia Carroll, the miner’s outgoing chief executive officer, will step down from the board at the annual general meeting in April and will leave the company at the end of that month, Anglo American said in a statement Tuesday.

Carroll resigned from her post in October 2012 after more than five years in the job.

"Mark Cutifani is an experienced listed company chief executive with a focus on creating value. He is a seasoned miner, with broad experience of mining operations and projects across a wide range of commodities and geographies, including South Africa and the Americas," Anglo American chairman Sir John Parker said.

An Australian national, Cutifani has been chief executive officer of South Africa-based gold producer AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. since 2007. He is also the current president of the South African Chamber of Mines.

Cutifani started his career in the coal and gold mining industries in Australia, and has a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering. He later served as chief operating officer of Canadian nickel company CVRD Inco before it was taken over by Brazil’s Vale SA.