“Cadia is a world class mine, and I am very proud to join the team,” Mr Sharpe said.

Earlier this year Cadia became Australia’s largest, and most cost efficient gold producer – it is a great achievement and I am looking forward to seeing just how great this site can be.”

Mr Sharpe said the safety of people working on the site would be a top priority as the mine expands into the eastern block.

“Successfully and safely developing them into long-life mining operations is a significant challenge for us but we have a first-class team at Cadia and they are up to the challenge,” he said.

“I also need to acknowledge our local community and how important it is for the future success of our operations to be working positively with them. I see the significant benefits of working closely with the community and commit to continuing this.”