Debra Valentine Group Executive Legal and External Affairs Rio Tinto
Debra Valentine is the Group Executive Legal and External Affairs with Rio Tinto plc. She advises the CEO, CFO and Board on significant legal issues and is a member of the Executive Committee. Ms. Valentine provides leadership and direction to the global legal team, external relations, media, security and compliance functions. She also heads up significant transactions, coordinates all major legal issues, and manages relationships with external counsel and collaborates with them in managing litigation.
Ms. Valentine joined Rio Tinto in 2008 from United Technologies Corp. Prior to that, Ms. Valentine was a partner with O’Melveny & Myers as well as General Counsel and Assistant Director for International Antitrust with the Federal Trade Commission.
Ms. Valentine received her J.D. from Yale University and her A.B. (magna cum laude) from Princeton University. She speaks three languages: English, French, and German.
Ms. Valentine’s professional activities include:
Member: congressionally created Antitrust Modernisation Commission (2004-2007)
Member: Counsel on Foreign Relations; American Law Institute; American Bar Association
Board of Directors: BNA Advisory Board on Trade Regulation; previously Hartford Symphony Orchestra; Hartford Stage Company
Admitted: Washington D.C.
Admitted to Practice: U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Courts of Appeals: District of Columbia Circuit, Third Circuit and Eleventh Circuit; U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
Author: Numerous articles and speeches including: “Building a Cooperative Framework for Oversight in Mergers – The Answer to Extraterritorial Issues in Merger Review,” 6 George Mason Law Review 525 (1998); “Privacy on the Internet: The Evolving Legal Landscape,” 16 Santa Clara Comp. & High Tech Law Journal 401 (2000)
Law Clark: Honorable Arlin M. Adams, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit (1980-1981)
Fulbright Scholar: Federal Republic of Germany (1976-1977)
