Conservative Party chief executive Sir Mick Davis could be set for a return to the mining industry, with reports suggesting he will take over from Jan Du Plessis as Rio Tinto chairman. Sir Mick was CEO of Xstrata until its takeover by Glencore in 2013. Often referred to as "Mick the Miner", Sir Mick drove the deal through a number of hurdles, including anti-trust investigations and wrangles about who would head up the merged entity. He was initially appointed Conservative Party treasurer before taking the CEO role in June 2017, with a remit to undertake improvements at its headquarters, personnel, campaigning techniques and systems. He is considered favourite to replace Du Plessis, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks,