BHP Senior Management Changes.

MELBOURNE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--December 18, 1998--The Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited (BHP) today announced the following senior management changes affecting the Company's minerals businesses. The new arrangements will be effective from 1 January 1999.

Mr R J (Ron) McNeilly Executive Director and President BHP Minerals, reporting directly to the Managing Director and CEO Mr P M (Paul) Anderson, with responsibility for all of BHP mining and minerals related businesses. Mr McNeilly was previously Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer.

There will be four direct operating reports to Mr McNeilly:

- Mr R W (Bob) Kirkby President BHP Steelmaking Materials with responsibility for BHP's coal and iron ore mining businesses, including steaming coal in Australia, Indonesia and New Mexico. Mr Kirkby was previously Group General Manager and CEO BHP Coal;

- Mr J E (Jim) Lewis President BHP Non-Ferrous and Industrial Materials with responsibility for BHP's copper, diamonds, titanium, silver/lead/zinc and platinum group metals businesses. Mr Lewis was previously Executive General Manager and CEO BHP Copper;

- Mr P E (Paul) Jeans President BHP HBI with responsibility for BHP's hot briquetted iron businesses in Australia and Venezuela. Mr Jeans was previously Executive General Manager and CEO BHP Ferrous Minerals;

- The fourth position, President BHP Minerals Development, will be the subject of a world-wide search to supplement the Company's executive mining capability.

Mr I M (Ian) McMaster had indicated prior to this announcement that he would be leaving BHP in early 1999 to take up a position with another company.

Mr Anderson said the changes represented the first step toward a more efficient global organisational structure. He said all of the above positions would be based at the Company's headquarters in Melbourne.