Face value: A new broom

摘要

The world of mining is in flux. Most firms in the business are flush with cash, thanks to high metals prices, and are buying one another up with gay abandon. Upstarts from Russia and Brazil are challenging more established Western rivals. Even the biggest firms are said to be plausible targets for takeovers.rnThe world of Cynthia Carroll is in flux too. In January she moved from Montreal to London, to become boss of Anglo American, the world's second-biggest mining conglomerate. Her husband and four children are waiting until the end of the Canadian school year to join her in London. Meanwhile, she has spent much of the past six months on planes, touring Anglo's operations around the world, peering into shafts and smelters, and chatting to managers and minions alike.