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ST. LOUIS, Dec. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gregory H. Boyce has been named CEO of the Year, and the company has been named Energy Company of the Year, at the Global Energy Awards in New York.  The annual program recognizes exemplary industry leadership around the world. 

The Energy Company of the Year award is the program's highest honor, recognizing all-around excellence in executing a total energy strategy. A panel of international judges selected Peabody as Energy Company of the Year for its "best-in-class performance, demonstration of a corporate philosophy that is fast-moving, adaptive and forward-thinking and for its perseverance in a time when competitors are faltering and its powerful position as demand for coal continues to grow."

The judges credited Boyce as being "the driving force behind the best coal company in the industry – one that is surviving and thriving in a challenging market."  Judges noted that Boyce is "renowned in the industry for his unerring focus on operational excellence and capital discipline."

"I am deeply honored to accept both of these awards on behalf of the 8,000 employees who have made Peabody Energy the most respected name in the industry," said Boyce.  "In addition to Peabody's leadership in global coal sales, I take pride in our expanding position as a global leader in sustainable mining, energy access and clean coal solutions."

Under Boyce's leadership, Peabody has demonstrated success across multiple market environments and expanded globally to access higher-growth markets. The company made significant investments in the low-cost, higher-growth U.S. Powder River and Illinois basins, completed a series of acquisitions in Australia and expanded its global reach through its trading and business development activities.

Long an advocate for the global coal industry, Boyce has been highly instrumental in initiatives to improve coal safety industry wide.  Under Boyce's leadership, earlier this year Peabody launched Advanced Energy for Life, a comprehensive global campaign to build awareness and support to eliminate energy poverty, increase access to low-cost electricity and improve emissions through advanced clean coal technologies.

"Through a successful career spanning three decades, Greg Boyce has created an unmatched record of excellence in the mining and energy sectors," said Bob Malone, Lead Independent Director of Peabody Energy.  "No one has done more to improve safety, advance sustainability, transform the asset base and bring global attention to the urgent crisis of energy poverty."

Boyce joined Peabody in 2003 as Chief Operating Officer and in 2006 was named Chief Executive Officer.  During Boyce's tenure, Peabody has improved its U.S. safety incidence rate by more than 80 percent; increased revenues 220 percent and Adjusted EBITDA 148 percent; significantly expanded its global footprint with activities in multiple countries; created a substantial Australian operating platform to serve higher-growth Asian markets; and earned more than 225 major global safety, environmental and financial awards for excellence.

Over a 30-plus year career, Boyce has worked across a wide range of commodities, including copper, uranium, gold and coal.  Among other honors, he has been named one of America's Most Valuable CEOs by Chief Executive Magazine and has garnered recognition from Institutional Investor magazine as a leading CEO in his sector.  He also has been inducted into the Mining Foundation of the Southwest's American Mining Hall of Fame.

Prior to joining Peabody, Boyce served as Chief Executive Officer – Energy for international mining company Rio Tinto in London, with responsibility for a worldwide coal and uranium portfolio. Other prior positions include President and Chief Executive Officer of Kennecott Energy Company, and President of Kennecott Minerals Company. 

Boyce holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Arizona and an Advanced Management Program degree from Harvard University's Graduate School of Business. Boyce serves as the Chairman of the Coal Industry Advisory Board of the International Energy Agency and is a former Chairman of the National Mining Association. He serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S.-China Business Council, and is a member of The Business Council, Business Roundtable and the National Coal Council, where he was Study Chair of the council's report, "Coal: America's Energy Future." He is a member of the Board of Directors of Marathon Oil Corporation and Monsanto Company. In addition, he is a member of the Board of Trustees of Washington University in St. Louis and is a member of the Advisory Council of the University of Arizona's Department of Mining and Geological Engineering.

Peabody is the world's largest private-sector coal company.  The company has 8 billion tons of proven and probable reserves and sells more than 250 million tons of coal to customers in more than 25 countries on six continents. Peabody is the largest seaborne supplier of low-vol PCI coal, the third-largest Australian coal reserve holder, and the fifth-largest global seaborne metallurgical coal supplier.

The Global Energy Awards are sponsored by Platts, a leading global provider of energy, petrochemicals, metals and agriculture information.

For further information, go to PeabodyEnergy.com and AdvancedEnergyForLife.com.

CONTACT:
Chris Curran
(314) 588-2765

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SOURCE Peabody Energy