To: All Freeport Employees
From: Pam Masson, Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer
Date: January 25, 2024
I am pleased to announce the following organizational changes in the Human Resources department effective February 1 to align and strengthen HR support to our operations:
Erich Bower, General Manager-Tyrone, will be joining the Human Resources team as General Manager-Strategic Workforce Development, reporting to me. In his new role, Erich will work with North America operations to prioritize workforce requirements critical to achieving business goals and develop and implement comprehensive workforce strategies. This role will help solidify the strategic connection between HR initiatives and operational priorities through collaboration with various stakeholders to help meet future workforce needs by focusing on attracting and retaining employees.
Erich started with the company in 1997 as an environmental engineer. Since 2004, he has worked as part of the operational leadership teams at Climax, Henderson and Fort Madison, assuming roles of increasing responsibility before moving to Tyrone in 2015. Erich has a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and a Bachelor of Arts in physics from Kansas Wesleyan University as well as a master’s degree in civil/environmental engineering from University of Colorado Boulder.
Details on Erich’s replacement will be announced when finalized.
Todd Graver, Vice President-Operations HR, has been named Vice President-International HR. This will enable him to provide dedicated support for PT Freeport Indonesia, our South America and other international operations. Todd will continue to report to me. Megan Patron, Director-HR Business Partner Corporate and Tony Carroll, Manager-HR International, will continue in their current roles reporting to Todd. Aimee Arrington, Manager-HR and NA Employee Relations will report to Megan.
Swen Gunderson, Director-HR Business Partner, will report to me on North America site HR matters and will support Todd on international site matters. He also will be working closely with Erich in his new role.
Ryan Niesz, Director-Compensation and Recruiting, will become Director-Compensation and focus solely on the company’s compensation programs, which are critical to attracting and retaining employees. He will report to Tiffany Gifford, Senior Director-Compensation and Benefits. He will transition oversight of the Talent Acquisition function to Erich.
Jim Merwin, Director-Talent Management, will report to Erich to help better align talent development support with our workforce strategies in North America. Jim also will continue to oversee inclusion and diversity work globally.
Please join me in congratulating Erich, Todd and Ryan well in their new roles and providing the entire team your full support.