Carroll, 49, who will succeed Tony Trahar, will join Anglo in mid-January next year after she completes her time at Alcan where she is currently the president and chief executive of the company’s Primary Metal Group. Trahar will stay on for a hand-over period before departing in April.

Carroll, an American-born geologist, has spent 18 years in the aluminium industry. She joined Alcan in 1988 before rising through the ranks to her current position where she is responsible for 18,000 employees operating in 20 countries.

However, the move was not welcomed by investors, analysts and the London press, with an article from the Times describing Carroll as “a relative unknown”

Investors on the London Stock Exchange clearly didn’t appreciate the move either with ₤545 million wiped off the 83-year-old company’s ₤37 billion market cap on Tuesday.

According to the Times, analysts also questioned the appointment on the grounds Carroll had been passed up for Alcan’s chief executive role earlier this year.

Carroll will receive a salary of up to ₤4 million per year including bonuses.