ST. LOUIS, Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Peabody Energy today announced that Eric Ford, Executive Vice President – Office of the Chief Executive Officer, plans to retire effective Jan. 31, 2014, following a successful career of more than 40 years in the global mining sector.

"We are thankful for Eric's many contributions to Peabody's success, including his leadership of operations on three continents and his recent guidance of the integration of our Australian operations," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gregory H. Boyce. "We wish Eric well in his transition, and he has left behind a deep bench of talent and a global platform that continues to drive record safety performance, a culture of operational excellence and significant cost improvements."

Ford has held a series of executive leadership roles with Peabody since joining the company in 2007, including Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and Chairman – Australia. Ford will assist Peabody in a consulting role through 2014.

Peabody Energy is the world's largest private-sector coal company and a global leader in sustainable mining and clean coal solutions. The company serves metallurgical and thermal coal customers in more than 25 countries on six continents. For further information, go to PeabodyEnergy.com and CoalCanDoThat.com.

CONTACT:
Meg Gallagher
(314) 342-4351

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SOURCE Peabody Energy