The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that years of friction between Barrick chairman John Thornton and former chief executive officer Mark Bristow preceded the ouster of the CEO last week. The Globe's Niall McGee writes that Mr. Bristow had led Barrick since January, 2019, and was handpicked by Mr. Thornton after Barrick acquired Randgold Resources Ltd., the Africa-focused mining company founded and run by Mr. Bristow. While Mr. Bristow and Mr. Thornton got on well in the early years, disagreements over strategy, a mismatch of personalities and a power struggle led to a fracturing of the bond. "The relationship between Bristow and Thornton had been frayed for a number of years," said Franco-Nevada's Pierre Lassonde. "There was a personality clash." Over two decades at Randgold, Mr. Bristow burnished his reputation as a hard-charging, no-nonsense mine manager. He followed a similar path at Barrick, boasting of his achievements while badmouthing his competitors. Mr. Thornton, a long-time investment banker at Goldman Sachs, was no shrinking violet either. Mr. Thornton had a constant need to be seen as the smartest person in the room, a personality trait that set him on a collision course with Mr. Bristow.