Mining and Minerals Education Foundation |
Red Conger
President and Chief Operating Officer - Americas,
Freeport-McMoRan, Inc.
2018 American Mining Hall of Fame Inductee
Harry M. (Red) Conger is President and Chief Operating Officer - Americas, and is responsible for management of the company’s North and South America copper mining operations and Climax Molybdenum Co. This includes nine mining operations in North America, two in South America, and the associated downstream processing facilities. These operations employ more than 15,000 people and have annual copper production of 2.7 billion pounds and annual molybdenum production of 92 million pounds from mines operated by Freeport-McMoRan. He also has environmental and corporate social leadership responsibilities in North and South America.
Mr. Conger began his career at the Kennecott copper mine at Bingham Canyon in Utah in 1977, which led to a 20-year career with Phelps Dodge Corporation overseeing all aspects of mining and processing at several North America operations and all South America operations. During that time, he progressed through a multitude of senior management roles of increasing responsibility before becoming president of Freeport-McMoRan Americas in 2007, following Freeport-McMoRan’s acquisition of Phelps Dodge that same year. He assumed the role of president and chief operating officer in July 2015.
Throughout his career, Mr. Conger has been recognized for his leadership in safety and is considered a leader in change management and production efficiency. He recently served as chairman of the National Mining Association 2014-2015, where he has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2007. He also served as co-chairman of the initiative Creating Global Prosperity: The Campaign for Mining, launched by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration.
Mr. Conger was bestowed the honor of being named the 2018 Ankh Award Winner and Copper Man of the Year for his leadership in promoting improvements in workforce safety and building strong collaborative relationships with local communities. In 2017, Mr. Conger was the honored recipient of the Charles F. Rand Memorial Gold Medal in recognition of his leadership in safety, change management and production efficiency and for his contributions to SME. In 2016, Mr. Conger was selected the William N. Poundstone Lecturer by the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University. In 2009, Mr. Conger received the Daniel C. Jackling Award for his significant contributions to technical progress in mining and in 2007 was the recipient of the Colorado School of Mines Distinguished Achievement Medal. Mr. Conger is a former commissioner on the New Mexico mining commission, and served on an Arizona water review commission.
Mr. Conger received his Bachelor of Science degree in mining engineering from Colorado School of Mines. He has completed post-graduate executive management studies at Duke University Fuqua School of Business, and Whitmore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire.
He and his wife Sissy have four children and reside in Phoenix, Arizona.