Udd currently serves as BHP’s chief commercial officer and has been a fixture of the Australian miner’s leadership since 1997. His move follows recent internal shifts at BHP, where Brandon Craig was selected to lead the copper business earlier this year. Udd was previously considered a top contender for the global CEO position at BHP before the company confirmed his departure earlier this week.

Kent Masters has led Albemarle since 2020, guiding the firm through a period of intense focus on the lithium market. By retaining Masters as executive chairman, the company aims to bridge the leadership gap during the transition. Udd’s arrival next year will finalize a planned succession strategy designed to maintain continuity while integrating fresh expertise from the global mining sector into the specialty chemicals industry.