The Rio Tinto mining company's logo is photographed at their annual general meeting in Sydney, Australia, May 4, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Reed

(Reuters) - Rio Tinto RIO.LRIO.AX named Barbara Levi as its new general counsel and group executive on Monday, replacing Philip Richards.

Levi, currently group legal head, M&A and strategic transactions at Novartis, will join the miner on Jan. 1, 2020.