Gilbertson takes helm at Russia's Sual

THE worst kept secret in the mining world finally came into the open today as Russian aluminium giant Sual confirmed Brian Gilbertson as its new president.

Gilbertson is receiving an undisclosed share and salary package for the executive role, though he insisted his pay was 'fairly modest by international norms'.

The comment will be met with a wry grin in the City. Although vastly experienced and the force behind the BHP Billiton mega-merger, his reputation has been tarnished by fat-cat rows.

He was slammed for his recent decision to quit as Vedanta chairman just months after getting a £7m golden hello for helping it float.

Gilbertson insisted today he had done nothing wrong. 'I had a non-executive post at Vedanta and I emphasise non-executive,' he said.

Sual is owned by oligarch Victor Vekselberg, the chief operating officer at BP-TNK, who splashed out a small fortune to buy a prized collection of Faberge eggs in February.