How far can a migrant go?
Marius Kloppers: Chief Executive of BHP Billiton

Running BHP Billiton requires a degree of forward planning virtually unheard of in any other sector but mining.

BHP owns deposits that may not be developed for decades. "If you think about all of the good results we've got, it's due to the foresight of those who came before," Kloppers says.

"From discovery to production, it could easily take a decade for a mine and it could easily take 20 years before that asset really comes into its prime and is a meaningful contributor."

About a year ago Kloppers was announced as successor to Chip Goodyear. Twelve months ago he formally took over.

It's been just 11 months since news of BHP Billiton's move on Rio Tinto became public knowledge.

"We knew when we started that this could be an 18-month process from start to finish, hopefully with a positive result," Kloppers says. "It's absolutely something that's got to be worked on every day."

Kloppers' philosophy, as with his BHP predecessors, is to keep things as simple as possible. "If you do the basic things right, if you just reserve all your energy for the basic things, then you'll be fine." he says.

Australia has been a good move for Marius Kloppers, and the reverse appears also to be true.