Kathryn Casson

Kathryn is Rio Tinto’s Chief Adviser for Civil Society and Outreach, responsible for Rio Tinto’s relationships with international civil society organisations and for shaping civil society engagement in countries where Rio Tinto operates.

Kathryn started her professional career at the UK’s Department for International Development (now FCDO) as a governance specialist working on countries including Angola, Burundi, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and Somalia. She was Private Secretary to the UK Secretary of State for International Development from 2011-14.  She has also worked in the World Bank’s fragile states unit, and at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) based in Jordan.

Prior to joining Rio Tinto, Kathryn was a Director at the advisory firm Brunswick, where her clients included the Responsible Jewellery Council and the World Health Organisation. She was previously Director for Public Affairs, Sustainability and Communications for the Coca-Cola Company’s 26 country business unit for the Middle East and North Africa, based in Egypt from 2014-18.  

Kathryn holds a BA in History from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in International Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London.