Chengdu Mayor Ge takes over as chairman of under-pressure Chinalco

Aluminum Corp of China (Chinalco), the nation's biggest producer of alumina, has appointed Ge Honglin, mayor of Chengdu, as chairman, replacing Xiong Weiping, who led the company since 2009.

The decision was announced on Monday afternoon during a corporate conference.

Ge, born in 1956, worked in the steel industry for 19 years before he entered politics. He was appointed as mayor of Chengdu in August 2003.