UPDATE 1-Global miner BHP names Mike Henry as new CEO for when Mackenzie retires

BHP Group Ltd said on Thursday that Mike Henry will replace Andrew Mackenzie as the chief executive officer of the world's biggest miner at the start of next year.

BHP said Mackenzie will retire on Dec. 31, and Henry will take over from Jan. 1. "Mike Henry's deep operational and commercial experience, developed in a global career spanning the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia, is the perfect mix for our next CEO," BHP's Chairman Ken MacKenzie said in a statement.

Henry, who has been with the dual-listed miner since 2003, is currently its president of operations minerals in Australia. Earlier this year, Reuters reported that some institutional investors in Australia were pushing BHP to consider external candidates to replace Andrew Mackenzie as CEO.

"Fresh leadership will deliver an acceleration in the enormous potential for value and returns that will come from BHP's next wave of transformation," Andrew Mackenzie said.