The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday, Nov. 27, edition that two unnamed sources say Barrick Mining's lead independent director, Ben van Beurden, abruptly departed the miner after plans for him to succeed John Thornton as chairman came undone. The Globe's Niall McGee and Tim Kiladze write that Barrick said on Wednesday that Mr. van Beurden, who had been a director for only five months, had stepped down. No rationale was provided for Mr. van Beurden's abrupt departure after such a short period of time. His predecessor, Brett Harvey, had served as lead director for 12 years. Sources say a motivating factor for Mr. van Beurden's exit was a change to the plan that would have made him Barrick's next chairman. Mr. Thornton has held the chair position since 2024. Before that, he was executive chair for a decade, meaning he had added responsibility for overseeing day-to-day operations. Mr. van Beurden's departure is the latest in a series of sudden leadership changes at Barrick, which has a market value of $98-billion. The changes at Barrick's board and management are happening at the same time that a U.S. activist, Elliott Investment Management, is agitating for change behind the scenes.