The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that Canadian Mike Henry will step down as chief executive officer of BHP Group Ltd. this summer after a 6-1/2-year run, and will be succeeded by Brandon Craig, who runs the company's Americas division. The Globe's Niall McGee writes that Melbourne-based BHP, the world's biggest mining company, announced the succession plan in a news release on Tuesday evening. Mr. Craig, who has been with BHP for more than 25 years, will take over the CEO position in July. He currently oversees the company's operations in Canada, the United States and South America. Previously, he was head of BHP's Western Australia iron ore business. "Craig is a long-tenured BHP executive with deep operational experience across both iron ore and copper, and has played a central role in advancing BHP's current growth pipeline," said RBC analyst Kaan Peker in a note to clients. "We would expect continued focus on large, low-cost tier-one assets and growth in future-facing commodities, particularly copper and potash, alongside ongoing capital discipline." The impending exit of Mr. Henry is not a surprise. BHP had been working on a succession plan for some time. Mr. Henry was born in Abbotsford, B.C.