Polyus Gold International, the mining company formerly known as KazakhGold Group, appointed Kinross Gold's former chief executive Robert Buchan chairman.
Buchan was chief executive and chairman of Toronto-based Kinross from 1993 to 2005 and served on the board of Polyus Gold from June 2008 to May 2009, according to a statement late Tuesday. KazakhGold this week changed its name to Polyus Gold International after acquiring its Russian parent Polyus Gold.
The combined company will seek to merge with a global rival as early as this year to become one of the world's top three gold miners, billionaire co-owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in December.
Kinross produced 68 tons of gold last year, making it the world's seventh-largest producer by output, while Moscow-based Polyus was 10th biggest, with 43.1 tons, according to data from London-based researcher GFMS.
Polyus said Tuesday that 2011 output would be 1.4 million to 1.5 million ounces of gold, including production from KazakhGold, according to a note from Deutsche Bank.
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