Rio Tinto has appointed three women to its board as the mining giant addresses criticism over a lack of diversity.

Hinda Gharbi, an executive vice president at oilfield services group Schlumberger, and Jennifer Nason, a global chair at JP Morgan Chase, will join the board next month. Ngaire Woods, professor of global economic governance at Oxford University, is set to join in September.

Simon Thompson, chair of Rio Tinto, said: “I am delighted to welcome Hinda, Jennifer and Ngaire and look forward to benefiting from their insights and expertise in natural resources, finance, technology, governance and public policy. Their diverse international experience will further strengthen the Rio Tinto board.”

Rio Tinto came in for criticism last year after it was revealed there were three times as many men called Simon on the board than there were women.

Its board will now have 12 members, of which a third are women.