USA Rare Earth CEO Humpton to retire, Serra Verde's Moraitis to succeed

USA Rare Earth

20/07/2026 12:34

    July 20 (Reuters) - USA Rare Earth USAR.O said on Monday that Barbara Humpton will retire as chief executive officer and board director effective October 1, with Serra Verde CEO Thras Moraitis set to succeed her.

    Brazilian rare earths miner Serra Verde had in April 
    agreed to
     combine with the U.S. company, aiming to create a platform that would support the first fully integrated, Western mine-to-magnet supply chain. 
Under Humpton's leadership, USA Rare Earth said it had secured landmark public-private partnerships and established a global footprint spanning critical processing, metals and magnet capabilities.
Moraitis has been CEO of Serra Verde since January 2023, during which the miner transformed into the only large-scale producer of the four critical magnetic rare earths outside of Asia, USA Rare Earth said.
Before joining Serra Verde, Moraitis served on the Executive Committee of mining firm Xstrata as it grew into a $65 billion company. Xstrata merged with Glencore in 2013. 
Michael Blitzer, current Chairman of USA Rare Earth, has been elected Executive Chairman, effective immediately, the company said. 

(Reporting by Dharna Bafna in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Ananda)
((Dharna.Bafna@thomsonreuters.com))