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Peabody Energy today announced that Connie de Santana has been named Chief Financial Officer for Peabody Energy Australia, effective Aug. 19, 2009. She will be responsible for finance, treasury, accounting, tax, financial and operational reporting, shared services, information services, supply chain management and compliance for Peabody's Australia operations.

De Santana will report to Julian Thornton, Managing Director of Peabody Energy Australia.

De Santana graduated from the University of South Africa with Honours Bachelor of Accounting Science and Bachelor of Science degrees. From 1986 to 2009, de Santana held increasing roles of responsibility with various subsidiaries of Anglo American plc Group, including Senior Divisional Financial Manager and Vice President - Finance for Anglo Coal's South Africa subsidiary; and Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President - Finance, with responsibility for the financial affairs of Anglo's worldwide coal businesses. In 2002, de Santana was named Chief Financial Officer for Anglo Coal Australia, where she directed all financial operations for Anglo's Australian coal businesses from their Brisbane headquarters.

She succeeds Gregg P. Wickstra who is retiring from Peabody after a 31-year career. In 2007, Wickstra was appointed Chief Financial Officer for Peabody Energy Australia. Prior to that, he served as Vice President of Commercial Services with responsibility for contract administration, risk management and trading/sales support activities.

Wickstra began his career at Peabody in 1978 as a Contract Administrator and has held management positions in sales, marketing services, market research, property services, planning, operations services, materials management and information services, and served as finance director for a former Peabody subsidiary in Sydney.

Peabody Energy Australia shipped 24 million tons of thermal and metallurgical coal in 2008 from 10 operations in Queensland and New South Wales. The company also trades and markets coal globally from offices in Brisbane and Newcastle. Peabody is the only U.S.-based coal company with a significant presence in Australia, the world's largest coal exporting nation fueling the fastest-growing coal markets.

Peabody Energy is the world's largest private-sector coal company, with 2008 sales of 256 million tons and US$6.6 billion in revenues. Its coal products fuel approximately 10 percent of all U.S. electricity generation and 2 percent of worldwide electricity.

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SOURCE: Peabody Energy