McDonald Retires from BHP Billiton; Klimczak Named President of Gas Marketing

BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) (NYSE:BBL) announced today that Rebecca McDonald has elected to retire from the Company. She had been President of Gas and Power for BHP Billiton Petroleum since joining the Company in 2004. Renee Klimczak has been named President for Gas Marketing replacing Ms. McDonald. Previously, Ms. Klimczak was in the role of Vice President, Natural Gas Americas; with responsibility for the development of BHP Billiton’s gas business in North, South and Central America. She joined the Company in 2005 after working in a number of positions related to domestic and international gas marketing, including retail. She was general manager of gas and electricity retailing in Melbourne, Victoria; first with Ikon Energy, then TXU Australia, where she was heavily involved in the deregulation of both gas and electricity industries, as well as leading marketing efforts for retailing to more than 1 million customers. She started her career with Exxon, working in a number of areas, including senior commercial and marketing roles. A native of Alexandria, Louisiana, Ms. Klimczak holds a bachelor’s degree in quantitative business analysis and a minor in computer science, as well as a master’s of business administration. Both degrees were obtained from Louisiana State University. She and her husband, Steve, have two children and reside in Houston, Texas. Further information on BHP Billiton can be found on our Internet site: www.bhpbilliton.com. Note to editors: A photograph of Renee Klimczak is also available. Please contact Julie or Patrick to receive a copy.