Rio Tinto PLC (RTP) Chairman Jan du Plessis said Friday the Anglo-Australian miner's chief executive retained the board of directors' full support after the company reversed course on a strategic tie-up with Aluminum Corp. of China, or Chinalco.

"Tom is a great chief executive," du Plessis said of CEO Tom Albanese.

Some analysts and investors have questioned Albanese's future at the company after a series of apparent missteps, including the purchase of Canadian aluminum producer Alcan at peak-market prices in 2007 and support for the Chinalco deal, which was deeply unpopular with some investors.

Company Web site: www.riotinto.com

-By Jeffrey Sparshott, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0)207 842 9347; jeffrey.sparshott@dowjones.com