News: Ex-Xstrata chief Davis eyed for Rio Tinto chairman's job-FT

SYDNEY, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Mick Davis, the former head of global miner Xstrata, has emerged as a frontrunner to become the next chairman of Anglo Australian miner Rio Tinto (RIO) , the Financial Times newspaper reported.

The South African-born businessman has held talks with Rio over the position, according to people familiar with the matter, the newspaper said.

Davis is credited with building Xstrata into one of the world's biggest mining companies before selling it to Glencore in 2012.

Rio Tinto, which is due to name a successor to its current chairman, Jan du Plessis, by the end of the year, declined to comment.

"Davis is a very astute dealmaker, but whether that can be transferred into an effective chairman is untested," said a Sydney-based fund manager, who declined to be named given the sensitivity of the issue. "His personality appears very different to that of du Plessis."

The search for a new chair has been disrupted by events including the resignation from the Rio board of John Varley, the non-executive director leading the search for a replacement for du Plessis.

Varley left in June after he was charged in Britain with fraud while chief executive of Barclays . Board member Ann Godbehere is now heading up the search.

Also, the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission in October charged Rio Tinto and two of its former top executives with fraud, saying they inflated the value of Mozambique coal assets and concealed critical information while tapping the market for billions of dollars.

Davis is currently chief executive of the ruling Conservative party in Britain.