The Road to Palm Springs
Joseph Carrabba
Chairman, President and CEO
Cliffs Natural Resources
For Joseph Carrabba, risk-taking has always been the keystone of success. Under his leadership, Cliffs Natural Resources has become not only North America’s largest iron ore supplier, but a merchant mining company with a global presence.
Even in the early days of his career, Joseph’s motto was “never turn down an opportunity.” This principle guided him through his early days in the mining business, when he traveled to such far-reaching locations as Australia, Switzerland, Singapore and Canada’s Northwest Territories.
When Joseph arrived at Cliffs in 2005, his goal was to instill a stronger focus on operational efficiency and flexibility. He also set about executing a highly successful transaction strategy that continues to reap benefits for the company and its shareholders.
Sustainability is central to Joseph’s management approach. Given the heightened public awareness of environmental practices in the mining industry, he strives for transparency regarding the impacts of mining projects on a community. As he says, ”People want to know the company is doing the right things.”
Joseph has worked to attract a management team that is highly trained and lives out the core values of the company. In summing up his management style, he stresses that it’s important not to micromanage others but to “focus on the big picture and develop a good culture to support it.”
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